In sickness and in love
by mortal-paralight
Summary: SEQUEL TO HELL HATH ONLY LOVE! Jules Shrike just finished the year and it's now summer. What will happen to her now and what horrible disasters come her way? Ok, summary sucks but the story is much better so read along r&r!
1. Nightmarish Preparations

**Alright everyone, here's the first chapter to the sequel to **_**Hell Hath Only Love**_**. Where will it take us I wonder? READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 1

Nightmarish preparations

It had been months since anything happened in Olympia, Washington. Everything was quiet. Lately, I've been feeling like quiet isn't normal in a small town like this one. School had been going rather slowly if you asked me. I tried to pay attention in most classes but it was harder than usual. Even though my friends kept me occupied, most of the classes were getting boring at this time. I mean, I know that end of semester exams were coming at an amazing speed but it didn't mean that I had to die of boredom in my classes!

At least summer was coming soon. I could spend most of my time with my friends and my true love. It was nice to have someone to love but it seemed to be dangerous to date a vampire, and especially a vampire that thirsted for your blood every waking moment of the day. But if I was going to die out of his hands, I wouldn't mind at all. I was still living with his family. After everything that happened, they didn't want me to go back to my father. And I agreed with them one hundred percent.

Henry never came to talk to me after the day I saw him in the parking lot. I could see it as a good thing. It wasn't his place to come and ask me to come back home when he tried to leave me alone with a sadistic vampire who wanted my death more than anything in the world. I gave it much thought after we talked if I said the best thing to him. After all, I did tell him to stay away from me. I was upset for a while and I realized that Edward was worried about me. I stashed the thought away in one of the drawers in my mind and forgot about it for a while. Sometimes, that drawer would open without my permission and my thoughts would be somewhere else for the time being. These days, that's all I could think about.

Luckily, there was some action happening elsewhere that made me think of this happy time. My mother, Chanel, had finally decided to get married with Lou. She had been dating him for many months now and a few days ago, Lou proposed to her and—of course—she accepted. When I was younger, I used to ask myself why Chanel divorced Henry, but now I know why… She loved Lou so much and they made such a lovely couple that who could ask for better. The wedding would take place in only a few days. Chanel wanted to wait until I was done final exams for the wedding to take place—which was nice. Apparently, she wanted me to be her bride's maid. I didn't have anything to wear though, but of course, my dear friend Alice would take me shopping or make me something from scratch, knowing her.

As the exams came closer, as usual, I had my new family help me study. They were happily willing to do it. They knew everything about their exams—but for vampires who have lived almost a century, I don't see why they would have any trouble with some small eleventh grade exams. When I finished my exams, Alice started having her fun in making me my bride's maid dress. Unfortunately, I actually had to model for her, which wasn't my favorite thing to do but I let her have her fun with this. She just loved clothes.

"Please Alice; we've been doing this for hours! Can I please just take a break and rest my feet?" I asked as Alice was doing my dress in my room. It had been four hours that Alice had been working on my dress. Even as a vampire, you'd think that she'd use her speed to make the dress. As she looked at me, she saw that there was pain in my eyes. My feet were absolutely killing me! I had to wear Alice's high heels just for Alice to make this dress.

"Oh alright. I guess it couldn't hurt to take a small break. But in five minutes, we're getting back to this." Alice said as I took off the high heels and just lay down on the bed. I was so tired from all of this modeling that I didn't bother to check if I had any blisters.

"Sure. Can we do something about the heels? Just so that I don't have to wear them so long. I think I'm getting blisters." I said as I got up in a swift movement and took off the high heels. Suddenly, my right shoulder started to hurt immensely but I never showed the pain. I winced a little but it was good that I was rubbing my feet; otherwise she would think it's another pain. My shoulder hadn't hurt in a few days but I never told anyone. I knew that they would get worried and ask me to go to my favorite vampire doctors, Esme and Carlisle Cullen. But this was hardly the time. Ever since I was almost killed back in Vancouver, my shoulder's been hurting on different occasions. Sometimes, it was because I made a sudden movement, or because of a bad nightmare during the night, or just because it wanted to hurt me for no reason.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do." Alice said before leaving. "I'll bring you some ice for your feet." I heard her scream in the hallway. I lied back down on my bed and held my shoulder. It was stinging a little but I didn't bother to wince. I was getting used to this pain. But… what was causing it? I closed my eyes but suddenly, I started dreaming.

_I was in a dark room, only lit by torches. I could see Alice and Rosalie and my boyfriend Edward. Suddenly, a figure popped in my line of focus. It was Gus, the sadistic vampire who tried to kill me all those months ago. But… he seemed different. I could hear a female musical voice behind me laugh. Janine, Gus's "assistant". They both leaped at us and Edward fought off Gus alone while Rosalie and Alice fought off Janine. Edward was dancing with Gus but suddenly, he was pinned to a wall. I ran up to him as Gus was about to run a dagger through his non-beating heart. I arrived to him just in time to take the blow of the dagger directly in the right shoulder. It hurt very much but I did not scream. I looked directly into Edward's beautiful black eyes and I saw pain. If he could cry, he would have in front of me. As I got thrown to the ground far from him, I could see only pain in my lover's eyes. As Gus possessed him with his black magic, all I could think was Edward. He came up to me and started throwing me around the room like a rag doll. Suddenly, he takes my neck and squeezes harder. _

_"Edward… It's me… Please come back… to me… I… love… you…" I tried to say but his face only came closer to my shoulder. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and sunk his teeth into my shoulder and started sucking. NO!_

I woke up in a rush. I could feel something rushing down my forehead. I touched my forehead to find that I had been sweating. Oh lovely. I was sweating on Alice's beautiful dress. I looked down to find that I was in my normal clothes and the dress was on my desk. I sat up and saw Alice sitting in my desk chair with a worried look on her face. "How long have I been sleeping?" I asked as I rubbed my eyes with my left hand. I didn't want to try and do anything with my right hand. I was afraid that it might hurt afterwards.

"A few minutes. You looked like you could need it. Was it another bad dream?" She asked as she got up and went towards the dress.

"Not really a dream, just a flashback…" I said; my voice barely over a whisper but I knew that Alice could hear me.

"Was it about…?"

"Yeah, it was. Except different."

"Well, it's the past now. Now, let's get back to the dress."

I sighed. I guess she wanted to get this over with. I got up but out of nowhere, I felt as if my shoulder was being ripped apart from my body. It hurt so much that I went back on the bed and put my hand on my shoulder and gasped in pain. I closed my eyes in pain and felt cold hands seize my arm. "Jules, what's wrong?!" She asked but I was in too much pain that I couldn't answer back. I sucked in a breath and opened my eyes slightly.

"My shoulder… It's killing me…" I said but suddenly, the pain was diminishing but I felt something cool run down my fingers. I looked at my shoulder and found a red liquid run down my fingers from my scar. Blood? Alice flew to the wall and I saw that she was holding her breath. The blood was strong and she wanted it. I ran to my open window and ran into the forest. I knew I couldn't stay in the same room as Alice if I was bleeding. She could attack me if something went wrong. Suddenly, an intense wave of dizziness came at me like a bullet and it was too strong for me. I fell to my knees and fell to my side. "What's happening to me…?" I asked before everything went black.

**Alright so what did you think of the first chapter? REVIEW PLEASE!!!**

**Bellacullenswan17**

6


	2. Opened Scars

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**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 2

Opened scars

"Is she going to be alright?" I could hear people around me asking frantic questions but I couldn't see who was asking them. The voice sounded female and rather worried. Was that Rosalie?

"I think so. Although, I can't figure out what caused it." I heard a masculine but calm voice say. I was guessing that it was Carlisle but then again, these were just presumptions.

"Alice was the last to talk to her. Maybe she can tell us what happened." Rosalie said.

"She said her arm was hurting a lot last time I talked to her. And then it started bleeding." A pixie like voice said. I could tell that was Alice from a mile away. "I didn't want to do anything that I would regret later so I held my breath. She must have seen me and then, she just took off towards the forest. I couldn't go after her with all the blood on her shirt. What else could I have done?!"

"It's fine Alice. You did all you could." Carlisle said. I wanted to wake up but something was holding me against it. I tried to open my eyes but I could feel a warm breath close to my face.

"Well, she does sleep like a rock." I heard a childlike voice say. Emmett… Suddenly, I felt something poke my face. I opened my eyes to find Emmett not even an inch from my face. My eyes shot wide open and I gasped in horror and sat up straight but ended up hitting my forehead against his. I leaned my head back on the soft surface—probably a pillow that was resting on the back of my head—and started rubbing my forehead.

"Owe… Oh my god, Emmett! What are you trying to do?! Give me a heart attack?!" I almost screamed at him as he backed away towards the rest of the Cullens.

"What?! It's not my fault that you hit your head on mine." He said defensively.

"What happened?" I asked wearily. I couldn't remember anything.

"You collapsed in the forest. Carlisle found you after he talked to Alice. Why didn't you tell us that you were in pain?" Esme asked.

"'Cause it was nothing at the time! I don't know what happened." I said as I started getting off the bed in my room. I looked at my shoulder and saw that it was all wrapped up with gauze. It was a good thing that I was wearing a tank top.

"Well, of what I believe, that vampire might have used some black magic on the knife to kill one of us. When he stabbed you with it, the black magic might still be in your system. That might be why you're experiencing some pain. Your scar opened up and you needed some stitching up. Take it easy for a while." Carlisle explained.

"But I can't. The wedding's in six days and Alice still has to finish my dress." I said as I put a light blue T-Shirt over my head carefully and slid it on.

"No I don't." Alice said with a smile.

"What did you do?" I asked confusingly.

"While you were sleeping, I asked Esme to model for me to let you sleep. I only needed a few more minutes and it would have been done but you wanted a break. And I didn't want you to work too hard on it so she accepted and I finished the dress. Esme had to take it off of you but luckily, you were wearing your tank top and some shorts under." Alice explained with a smile.

"Well, thanks Esme. But I thought you said I was asleep for a few minutes." I said.

"It's true. You were asleep fourteen minutes and fifty-two seconds. You needed the rest." Alice said.

"Thanks… Well, all we have to do now is get everything packed up. My mom wants my closest friends and… boyfriend… wait, where's Edward?"

"Hunting with Jasper." Rosalie said.

"Alright… Well, as I was saying, my mom wants my closest friends and family to come to the wedding and I told them that I wanted you guys to come. Is that alright?" I said but I noticed that Alice was jumping up and down with joy. Everybody else had a smile plastered on their faces. They seemed happy to hear the news.

"We'd love to." Esme said.

"This is perfect! It gives me an opportunity to go shopping! Let's go Rose! We have some shopping to do. And you guys had better go shopping too! The boys need some tuxes and Esme, you come with us. And somebody tell Edward and Jazzy the news!" Alice said as she grabbed Rosalie's wrist and dragged her out of my room. Esme followed behind them and then it was the boys' turn to head out the door. That left me alone in my room with my new dress.

I took the dress and placed it in front of me as I walked towards the body length mirror that Alice put in my room. The dress was so beautiful! It actually looked designer. The dress was cut diagonally at the bottom, just under the knees, with glitters that could pass for diamonds from the straps to the bottom of the dress. It cut into a V pattern with one inch straps. No one could have seen my scar—well, not anymore since I was stuck with this gauze for a while! But that didn't matter anymore. I couldn't stop admiring my beautiful bride's maid dress! Alice did a wonderful job on it and I couldn't turn it down now, not after all the hard work put into it. I placed it carefully in my wardrobe and opened my Apple portable white computer and looked at my messages. I hadn't moved them in a few days so I might want to check if Chanel had sent me some news about the wedding. I had a hunch she did.

I typed in my email address and my hunch was correct. My mother had sent me an email regarding the wedding. I opened it and started reading it.

Hey honey,

How is everything going? I haven't talked to you in a long time. How did exams go? I'm sure you did perfect. You have so much brain power with you that it's incredible. Now, I need to tell you some news about the wedding.

Now, the wedding's only a couple of days away, I'd like you to come in a few days before so that we can practice. If it's not too much trouble for you to come to Seattle, I'd like also to have the exact list of the people you invited for the wedding. Oh, I'm just so excited! Did you get your bride's maid dress? I hope you did because we hardly have enough time to think around here! No pressure or anything

Alright, that's about it for now so, I will talk to you soon honey. Oh, I can't wait to see you in your bride's maid dress, well, if you have it already! I'll see you soon!

Love you!

Mom

PS: I invited Henry to the wedding and he said he was coming. I hope that doesn't bother you.

I think that was the longest email my mother has ever sent to me! But now, I have to hurry up and pack. I just can't believe that Henry was going… He wasn't really fond of my mother and I don't think he wants to see me any time soon. Suddenly, I started having flashbacks of me and Henry in the parking lot… _Look, get the hint. I don't want you as my father. So, let go of my brand new door and get away from me._ I said to him many months ago. Man, that drawer opened up again when I didn't want it to. Every time I heard his name somewhere, the drawer would open up. I didn't want any part of Henry, especially not now.

Suddenly, I felt something cold take my waist and something cold was placed on my cheek. "Hello love." An angelic voice said in my ear. I could smell his sweet aroma all around me.

"Hey. How was your hunt?" I asked him as I placed my arms on his and kept his hold on me. Even if he was a vampire, I always felt safe around him.

"Satisfying. But I kept thinking about you all the time. How do you feel?" He asked.

"Fine." I said as I laid my head on his ear and closed my eyes.

"Carlisle told me what happened. I'm worried about you Jules." His velvety voice said but his head never left my shoulder.

"Edward, you have to stop worrying about stuff like this. It's nothing big. Now, Alice wants you to go shopping for a tux. You might want to go with the other guys. They're all waiting for you." I explained as I went to get my dress from the wardrobe and placed it on me to show Edward. "How would I look?" I asked as I went to strike a small pose.

"You will look beautiful in that dress Jules." He said as he went towards me and gave me a hug.

"Thanks. I can't wait to see you in your tux. Now, go buy it and show me after!" I said as I started to whoosh him out of my room.

"I'll miss you."

"And I too." I said as I kissed him. His cold lips on mine were passionate. I never wanted to let go of him but, as usual, it ended too soon. He flashed me that heart-melting dazzling smile and he went towards the hallway. I returned to packing my things and suddenly, my shoulder started to sting. I rubbed it and the pain started to subside slightly. Hopefully, my scar would stay a scar this time. And hopefully, the pain would stop soon. But luckily, the wedding was in six days and that would take my mind off of things.

I just couldn't wait to see my mom soon, and her new husband.

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**Bellacullenswan17**

8


	3. Weddings

**Alright so here's the next chapter. READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 3

Weddings

My mother was freaking out! I mean, sure it was her wedding but she had moments that she would cry out of nowhere and have fits that were about nothing. I tried to calm her down but it was difficult. Even Lou was doing his best to stop her crying but he wasn't very good at it. She was worried about my shoulder but I reassured her that it was fine. And it was. It hadn't hurt me since Carlisle checked over it. I just hope that it would stick that way. I didn't want to be in pain during the wedding.

Chanel checked the weather for the day of the wedding and it was supposed to be cloudy. Perfect. Apparently, vampires can't go out in the sunlight because people would see that they were different. Mom wanted to reschedule the wedding because of the weather but I told her that we could have it inside a church. She hesitated a little but she agreed in the end. I had to leave Olympia to help my mom with the preparations for the wedding but the worst part is that I had to leave Edward back home. He was upset but his family was coming the day of the wedding, which was good.

The wedding came at an amazing speed. I guess time flies when you're having fun. The Cullens were arriving at noon, which gave me enough time to get into my dress and get to the church in time with them. A few minutes before the wedding, I was getting my bride's maid's dress on in the bathroom in my old room when suddenly; a wave of pain came at my shoulder. I winced and gasped at the pain and held my shoulder to try to stop the pain. It stopped after a few seconds. I looked in the mirror and saw that the gauze was stained slightly with my blood. Great… I took my cell phone out and dialed Alice's number. She was waiting with the others outside with the crowd of guests that my mom invited. She answered on the second ring.

"Hello?" Her pixie voice asked.

"Alice? Can I talk to Esme a little?" I said as I got changed into something more comfortable until Esme came to look at my wound.

"Is everything ok?"

"I think my wound opened up again. Can I talk to her? She might know what to do." I asked as my shoulder started to sting a little.

"Alright, give me a sec." She said as she handed the phone to Esme and she explained what happened.

"Dear, where are you?" Esme asked.

"I'm in my bathroom on the second floor. It's the third room on your right." Surprisingly, our house was pretty big. I guess Chanel got a pretty big salary.

"I'll be right there." She said before she hung. I waited for her and in a few seconds, someone knocked on my door. I went to get it and saw Esme at the door. She was wearing a beautiful purple and blue dress and her hair was all curled up. She had put some makeup to hide her beautifully pale skin.

"Wow… you weren't kidding about the timing." I said as she came in the room and I closed the door behind me and locked it. I didn't want my mom barging in when Esme was fixing my arm up.

"Let me take a look at it." She said as I took off my tank top and I had my sports bra under. Good thing I wasn't wearing the dress or my mom—and Alice—would freak out on me for staining the dress on the wedding day. The gauze was pretty thick and covered my entire right shoulder and went around my chest. I guess Carlisle didn't want it to fall off or anything. As Esme took my gauze off, she saw what the damage was. My stitches had opened up and the blood was pouring slowly. She gasped at what happened and seemed horrified. "This looks bad."

"Bad as in…?"

"I… I don't know. I haven't seen anything like this in my life. The wound shouldn't have opened up in the first place but now, it's opened up a second time. I'll get Carlisle up here to look at this. Do you mind? I need a second opinion here." She said as she went towards the door.

"No, not at all. Do what you have to do." I said. She flashed me a beautiful smile and left the room. I waited and in seconds, Esme was back with Carlisle _and_ Alice behind her. He was wearing a normal but expensive black tuxedo and the gold hair was nicely tucked back as usual. Alice was wearing a beautiful blue dress that ruffled at the bottom with pearl earrings and designer gold shoes. Her spiky hair was the same as usual and she put a little butterfly pin in her hair. Carlisle looked over my wound and took out his medical kit.

"This doesn't look like anything I've seen before. Usually, the wound is supposed to stay closed but if it's opened up, that means something must have been in the dagger that's triggering side effects." He explained.

"Black magic?"

"It could be." Esme said.

"I can't see anything in her future…" Alice said. That got me worried. Edward explained to me that Alice's visions usually show anyone's future but if she couldn't see mine, this was really bad.

"This isn't good…" Esme said, her voice getting worried.

"The only thing I can do for now is to stitch the wound back up and make more tests back at the house. All my equipments are there." Carlisle said as he took some stitches out of his bag with some tweezers to take the old ones out. "I'm going to have to take the old ones out and replace them."

"It's fine." I said as I closed my eyes. Alice went out of the room when she saw the blood. She couldn't control herself if she smelled the blood. Carlisle started to take the stitches out at an incredible speed and replaced them in under two minutes. I could hardly feel the pain.

"There. It should be fine until we go back home." Carlisle said as I put my top back on.

"Thanks. I'll be down in a few minutes." I said as I went back into the bathroom.

"Try not to over use the arm. It might open up again." Esme suggested.

"I'll call Frederic and see if he can get the magic out in a few days." Carlisle said.

"Sure. Now, out you go. I need to get changed." I said as I closed the door behind me. Suddenly, I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me and I had to balance myself with the door handle. This wasn't normal… It passed a few seconds later and I was able to put on my dress without any problems. I fixed my makeup and grabbed the bouquet. As I went downstairs, the Cullens were the last ones in the room. People were starting to leave outside and we were the last ones to leave.

"Are you alright?" Alice asked as I came towards them.

"Yeah… just fine…" I said as I started to feel a little lightheaded and fell over my own feet. Edward caught me in the knick of time.

"Maybe this is a bad idea…" Rose said as Edward straightened me up.

"I'm fine. I can do this." I said as I closed my eyes and relaxed.

"Are you sure?" Edward asked as he put his hand around my waist to keep me balanced.

"Yeah. I can do this wedding. I'll relax at the after-party." I said as we headed out the door and into the cars. Alice, Edward, Jasper and I took a car and Carlisle, Esme, Emmett and Rosalie took another.

It took us a few minutes to arrive to the church and my arm wasn't hurting as much. When we arrived, we got out of the car and headed to the doors of the church. People started going inside and the Cullens were waiting with me by the door.

"Can vampires enter churches?" I whispered to Edward. He smiled at me and put a step inside the church with a grin on his face.

"Myth." He said as he entered the church with all the Cullens. I was afraid. If my shoulder had some black magic in it, could I enter a church without getting burned or anything worse? I stayed outside the church and Edward noticed something was wrong.

"What is it?" He asked worriedly.

"If there's black magic in me, will I be able to go in?" I asked as Carlisle came behind him.

"There's only one way to find out." Carlisle said. "There shouldn't be any problem."

"Alright…" I said as I started to enter the church. I felt a little pinch on my shoulder but when I entered, nothing happened. I had a smile on my face and Edward put his arm out for me to take. I took it and we headed towards the seats. I had to stay in front with the bouquet of flowers in my hand and the wedding started.

It was absolutely beautiful. I never saw my mother this happy before in my life. She walked down the aisle with her beautiful white dress and the flower girl—which was my Emily, my mother's friend's daughter and now my mother's neighbor—was throwing flowers in front of her. Lou was waiting in his nice black tuxedo and looked happy to see my mother. As the minister started the ceremony and recited some lines from the Bible, my mom kept glancing at Lou with a big smile on his face. Nobody had any objections about Chanel and Lou getting married and it took a few minutes until the minister finally said: "You may now kiss the bride." Lou pulled the veil off of my mother's face and kissed her tenderly. Everyone was now clapping at the newly-weds and the couple started to leave the church and go into the "Just Married" car. As I exited the church with Edward, I felt the pinch again as I took a step outside. I winced a little and Edward that something was wrong. He didn't ask any questions but I knew that he could feel something wasn't right about this…

As we arrived at the after-party in my mother's backyard—which was bigger than I remembered—and they started to play some songs, I sat down next to Edward.

"How do you feel?" He asked as looked at my mother and Lou doing the cha-cha in the middle of the dance floor.

"Fine." I lied. The pinch had come back when Edward placed his hand on my shoulder. It took him a second to answer back.

"Jasper can feel your pain. Please be honest with me."

"Jasper! You snitch!" I said as I looked at him. He was telling Edward that I was lying. Alice laughed so hard at my remark.

"Sorry Jules. But it's not good to lie about your pain." Jasper said as Alice snuggled into him in her seat.

"What seems to be troubling you?" Edward asked.

"I don't know. Every time someone touches my arm, I feel a sort of pinch on it." I said.

"Should I get Carlisle to look at it?" Edward asked.

"No, let's just wait until we get back to the house. I don't want to spoil anything for my mom. She gets worried too easily these days." I said as she came towards us.

"Jules, can you go to the stage and sing a few songs?" She asked as Lou followed behind with a big smile on her face.

"Um…" I hesitated.

"Please. You know how much I love your singing." She begged and started doing the upper lip sad look that got me every time. Man, I hated that look.

"Alright. From what?" I said as I got up.

"You know what I like. Just do about three or four songs. Thank you so much." She said as she kissed my cheek and went back to the dance floor with Lou.

I went towards the stage and grabbed the microphone and told the band what songs to do. My mother loved _Abba_ and there were three songs that she loved from them. _Voulez-vous_, _Super Trooper_ and _Take a chance on me_. She liked others but those were her top three. I started with _Voulez-vous_ and she looked happy to see me up there. They started doing the dance to the song and I put my best smile on. This was her big day and she should have a fabulous time.

As the day went by, I started to feel a little pain from my shoulder. This definitely wasn't normal. Carlisle had called Frederic after I started singing and he told Carlisle that he could come in a few days. It was a good thing because I wanted this pain to be over. I only hoped that it would end soon.

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**Bellacullenswan17**

8


	4. The Shaman

**Alright guys, here's the next chapter for this story. READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 4

The Shaman

The wedding was a huge success. Chanel and Lou were on their honeymoon in Spain and we went back to the Cullen house in Olympia. Everyday, my arm started to hurt more as I touched my shoulder. But the day after the wedding, once we were back at the house, I could see a black electrical current pass from my fingers to my shoulder every single time I let go of the wound. Now, everyday, it was getting worse… I was starting to get scared. If I was getting shocked every time I touched the scratch, what would happen if Edward tried to touch my shoulder? Would he get shocked too? I couldn't let that happen. He tried to hold me but I repelled him. I knew that he felt pain from this but I couldn't take any chances. I didn't want him to get hurt because of something that revolved around me. It might be a little selfish but I wanted others' safety above my own.

On the eight day, my hand couldn't get near my shoulder. It would shock me a few centimeters away and my hand would go numb for a few minutes. I tried to ignore the pain but it just wouldn't go away. I locked myself up in my room for hours and just tried to figure out what was going on but no answers would come to me. Edward had tried to see me but I told him it might not be the best thing. I didn't eat much and I obviously couldn't go anywhere. I stacked a few sandwiches in my room and that was it for me. Alice, Rose and Esme tried to make me come out of my room but I wouldn't budge from inside my four walls—well, three if you count that one of my walls was filled with wall-length mirrors. I guess I would just have to wait for Frederic to come. He would know what to do. I hope…

It took eight days for Frederic to arrive at the house. He had brought a few equipments with him in a black school bag. It seemed brand new. I could hear the Cullens' sweet musical voices from downstairs but I didn't want to leave my room. I didn't want to get near anyone. I didn't want to hurt them… I was sitting at my desk, surfing the internet when suddenly, I could hear someone knock at my door. "Jules, Frederic's here to see you. Can we come in?" I could hear Esme ask from the other side.

"Alright. Give me a sec. Just get away from the door." I said as I walked up to the door and unlocked it and walked towards the windows. "It's open." I said; my voice a little frightened.

I heard the door open but I didn't turn around. "Hello Jules. It has been a while." I heard a deep, strong and firm British accent from behind me. I turned around to see a young man with golden eyes and long silver hair with a white shirt that looked like it was from the pirate ear and blue jeans that were torn around the knees.

"Yeah… it has." I answered as I crossed my arms and looked him straight in the eyes.

"So, shall we start right now?" He came closer towards me but I put my hands in front of me.

"Don't come too close. Right there's just fine." I said as he was two feet away from me. That was all that I tested so far with people. I didn't want to push it.

"Alright. What seems to be the problem?" He asked to anyone. Carlisle entered the room with the rest of the Cullens—except Esme—behind him.

"A black magic user stabbed her in the shoulder as he tried to get to Edward. She got in the way of the blow." Carlisle explained. "It could have killed Edward if it went through him."

"Then Jules must be getting something off of the blade that must be affecting her." Frederic said as he tried to put his hand towards me but the black shock came again and it stung a little. He took a step back and everyone looked shocked.

"I'm sorry." I said with a sad look. I knew someone was going to get hurt if this wasn't going to get fixed soon.

"It is alright. This is going to be harder than I thought… Black magic is not easy to reverse." Frederic said as he unzipped his backpack and started reaching inside of it.

"But can you undo it?" Edward asked worriedly.

"I will do my best. I cannot confirm that it will work but I will try. But to reverse such a use of black magic on someone, it will take drastic measures." He said as he found what he was looking for in his backpack and took out a bottle, a red handkerchief and a knife.

"Which is…?" Esme asked as he spilled the green liquid in the cloth and ran the liquid onto the knife.

"I have to pierce this through the scar and it will hopefully neutralize the effect." He said as he showed the now green knife to everyone. Alice gasped and I'm guessing she was against this.

"You can't do that! It'll just hurt her more." Alice responded.

"Alice, if he has to do it, just let him do it. I want this whole thing to go away." I said as I sucked in a huge breath of fear. I was afraid of what might happen next but I didn't care anymore. I wanted this problem solved.

"But—"

"But nothing. Just do it Frederic." I said; my tone was a little sour at the beginning but it didn't matter.

"Everyone will have to leave the room. There might be blood when this is all over." Frederic warned.

"Alright." Esme said as everyone started to leave the room and closed the door behind them. Edward passed me a worried look before he left the room but I gave him a reassuring smile as he headed out of the room. I sighed and Frederic started looking at me.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

I took in a deep breath. "Yeah… I'm ready. Go right ahead." I said sadly.

"This might hurt a little." He said as he approached me with the green knife pointed right at me. He started his approach and the shock started as he took his steps. Frederic did not seem affected by the shock but I certainly was. It was hurting a lot. I winced as the pain grew and the lightning grew stronger and stronger. It was now filling the room with black electricity that it was frightening. It looked like witchcraft in one of those black and white movies about vampires and witches battling each other. I gasped in pain as he was only inches away from my shoulder. The door flew open and I saw Edward with a horrified expression on his face. He screamed my name as he closed the door but I couldn't hear him with all the electricity.

I was about to scream when I felt a sharp pain through my shoulder and the lightning stopped. I opened my mouth wide. I couldn't scream. My voice wasn't even with me. I could feel something trickle down my shoulder and staining my tank top. I looked at my shoulder and found a thick black liquid running down my shoulder. Was that blood? Suddenly, Edward tensed up and Frederic removed the dagger at an amazing speed. I went to my knees and wanted to grip my shoulder so badly but I couldn't feel my right arm. Frederic took out a white cloth from his backpack and wrapped it around my shoulder. "Are you alright?" He asked as he put his hand on my shoulder. Wasn't he going to get shocked? Was it over?

"I… I think so…" I said sheepishly.

"That is good." He said as he helped me up and made me sit on my bed. The Cullens came back in the room and looked worried.

"What happened?"

"We saw black lights flashing in the room and when Edward went in, we saw electricity!" Alice said.

"Is she going to be ok?" Esme asked.

"I neutralized the effect temporarily but… this is out of my hands. There is so much magic inside of her that is urging to come out that it is incredible. I have never seen anything like this in my life… I will have to ask aid from others." He explained as he put the knife in his bag and took out a sling to put over my arm. My insides felt as if a battle was raging on inside but I just couldn't look at any of the Cullens. I just kept staring straight forward.

"You mean from the Elves?" Carlisle asked. Elves?

"Are vampires friends of the Elves?" I asked as I turned my head and I was exhausted from this whole event.

"We tend to befriend with most magical creatures, such as Elves, Dwarves, Wizards, and etcetera." Carlisle explained.

"I will give them a call and hope they can come soon." Frederic said as he took out a cell phone and started to go outside. "I will be right back." He said as he headed out the door.

"I'm surprised Elves have cell phones." I said as Edward came beside me and put his arm around my waist. It felt good to have him beside me again. I hadn't been able to see him for a few days and I missed him.

"How are you feeling?" He asked before kissing my cheek.

"A little pain but nothing big." I said as I leaned on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"For?" I asked confusingly.

"If I had never been here, none of this would—"

"Oh shut up and kiss me." I said as I took his stone cold chin with my left hand and turned it towards me and kissed him on the lips tenderly. It felt so good to have his lips intertwined with mine after so long that I never wanted to stop. Everyone left the room and we had the room to ourselves. I finally was able to get Edward all to myself… for a while. I'd have to push him away again when the pain would come back. But I was happy to have him for this short time.

We kissed for what seemed like an eternity until we went downstairs to see Frederic leave. He wanted to go into a hotel close by and didn't want to be a bother. Carlisle let him go freely and Edward dragged me in his beautiful room and we kissed until twilight shined on the little river in the forest. I was thrilled to be back in my Edward's arms that nothing could separate me from him.

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**Bellacullenswan17**

7


	5. Rings

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Chapter 5

Rings

Frederic came by every day to give me some medication to dull the pain from the black magic and tried to find some answers to the black magic stuck in me. He called the Elves but they refused to come here. They said that if they were going to try to heal me, then I would have to go over there. And that couldn't happen. As I enjoyed the moments that I could with Edward and the other Cullens until this wave of pain would pass again, this was the happiest moment that I could ask for so far. Frederic said that he would be leaving to go see the Elves in three days and somewhere, my heart was telling me to go with him.

On the second day, I started to feel a little lightheaded constantly during the day. I didn't know what was happening but somehow, it had to revolve around black magic, as all pains these days were revolving around it. As I laid my head against Edward's chest in his room as we listened to some of his older records, I started coughing violently. Edward looked worried and tried to relax my coughing. It wasn't working.

"This seriously can't be healthy." I said after a minute of coughing. My chest was burning with pain but I lay back on Edward as I put my hand to my chest and tried to stop the burning.

"It doesn't seem to stop." Edward said as he tried to straighten me up so he could get up. "I'd better do this now." He said as he went towards his shelves and went to get a small black box.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I sat up on his white couch. I looked at him suspiciously. What was he planning?

"Jules, you're getting sicker and I don't know what to do. If I were to lose you, I don't know how I would take it." He said as he came closer to me and looked at the box.

"You're not going to lose me, Edward. This is only a minor setback. Frederic will go to those Elfish guys and everything will be fine." I reassured him. This is what I hoped would happen.

"But in any case, I want to do this now or I won't do it at all." He said as he went on one knee and opened the black box to reveal a beautiful old-fashioned diamond ring with vines going all around the front of the ring. Oh no… Please don't tell me he was doing this now! "Jules, when I first met you, my whole world changed. Now that I'm with you, I don't want anyone else in my life. Will you be mine?" He asked; his angelic ringing in my ears as I started to feel a little lightheaded again. I wasn't feeling lightheaded because of the proposal but because of my shoulder. I'd been feeling like this all day long with the insane coughing fits.

"Edward, I don't think I'm the right person to accept—"

"It is mine to give to who I choose… Like my un-beating heart. And I choose you, Juliette Shrike. Please be with me forever." He said as he sat beside me on the white leathery couch. I was blown away at how beautiful the ring looked on me. But I can't believe he was proposing to me when I was only eighteen! But then again, it was the right age. I wanted to be with Edward forever but I didn't want to be human. I wanted to be just like him. To be his equal in many ways.

"Will you make me a vampire, so I can be with you forever?" I asked him. He looked at me with a worried expression. Apparently, this wasn't something he wanted to do. It took him a minute to answer.

"I will… but on one occasion." He said in a soft voice as he looked into my sea blue eyes. Oh no… This couldn't end well.

"Which would be?"

"Go to university and I will change you after." Oh my god! He wanted to change me in a while! This so wasn't fair.

"Before I go to university." I replied.

"After. That is my only condition."

"I'll think about that condition of yours. It doesn't seem right that I'll almost be ten years older than you. You can stay seventeen forever while I'll probably be twenty something." I replied.

He seemed to be thinking a little about what I said. But it did make sense. Edward was changed when he was seventeen and I'd have to wait so long to be his equal. He sighed and closed his eyes for a second. "Alright, how about this… Marry me after high school and I will change you when you are twenty one. Does this seem fair?" he asked. I started thinking about this. He would be only four years younger than me and that seemed logical.

"Yes." I said.

"To which? To my proposal or our negotiation?" He asked.

"Both. I want to be with you forever Edward. And if I have to wait three years to be like you, then I'll wait. But let's get married in the fall." I said as I put my hand on his chest and he slid the engagement ring on my finger. It fit perfectly.

"Why the fall?" He asked.

"Because of the colors. The best time to do something is when the leaves are changing colors. And the weather is mostly cloudy in the fall. Let's get married on the first day of fall." I was already one step ahead of him on the preparations of the wedding. He flashed that heart-melting smile that I love so much and said:

"Alright. Then it's settled." He said as he went to kiss me.

I reached his face and we kissed tenderly for what seemed like minutes. Now, I had a fiancé and he was going to be mine forever in a few years. I couldn't wait but I wanted to do this after I had graduated. And seemed to go along with what I wanted. Typical Edward. He started to kiss my neck and suddenly, I felt a wave of cough fits that were starting to build up. "Edward, wait a second." I said between breaths. He separated from me and I went towards his shelves and grabbed a tissue to put under my mouth. If the cough fits were as bad as the last, then this would be terrible.

I started coughing and Edward was behind me in an instant. He put his hands on my shoulder and tried rubbing my back gently. The coughing stopped a few minutes later and I closed my eyes but I kept the tissue on my mouth. I could feel Edward stiffening up behind me and I turned around to find his eyes had gone black. I looked at the tissue and found it stained red. Was I… coughing up blood? "Edward…" I said as I backed away from him.

"I'd better go hunt." He said as he went towards his open door.

"Go get a good mountain lion. I'll talk to Carlisle." I said as he backed to the door.

"I won't be long." He seemed to be struggling to stay here. Suddenly, he jumped out of the room and ran towards the forest. I went towards the bathroom and found that my lips were covered with blood. I took the tissue and wiped my face with it. After I had washed my face a little, I went downstairs to try to find Carlisle. I looked around to find only Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett in the living room. But there was no sign of Carlisle or Esme.

"Where's Carlisle?" I asked as everyone started looking at me confusingly but Alice seemed to be jumping with joy. She probably saw what Edward did.

"He had to run to the hospital with Esme. What's wrong?" Rosalie asked as they came towards me with a worried look but I decided to break for the door.

"I think it's getting worse." I said as I headed towards the door but I never showed them the tissue. I knew one other person could help me and that would be Frederic. Either he could do something about this or he would take me with him to the Elves.

I ran towards my car and was speeding towards Riverview Hotel, where Frederic was staying until tomorrow. I had to talk to him about the coughing. Maybe he would take me with him to go see the Elves. It would pain me to leave Edward after we just got engaged but I wanted to be able to feel healthy. And if the shocking would come back, I wanted Edward to be able to touch me, not stay away from me. As I entered the parking lot and asked what room Frederic Stile was in, I rushed up the stairs and knocked on his door. He opened it a few seconds later and he looked shocked to see me. "Jules, what seems to be the trouble?" His British accent said.

"Is there something you can give me to block Alice's power?" I didn't want Alice to know what I was planning. He looked confused but he showed me inside.

"If you step inside, all powers are blocked from the outside." He said as I stepped inside. I didn't feel any different but I trusted him. "What seems to be the matter?"

"I want you to take me with you to go see the Elves."

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**Bellacullenswan17**

6


	6. Separation

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**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 6

Separation

"I cannot." He simply replied.

"And why not?" I asked as I approached him.

"Because the journey to the Elves is extremely dangerous."

"I can handle it."

"Elves are not very fond of humans."

"Maybe, I can change their minds. And besides, if you're with me, what could possibly go wrong?" I asked.

"Many things." He said as he went towards his dresser and started packing in a large backpack.

"Please Frederic, I want to go. I _need_ to go. I want to be able to be in the same room as my friends. I want to be able to stand next to them and not have anything wrong happen. I want to be able to have someone put their hand on my shoulder or to hug me." I said as Frederic continued to pack but he looked at me and stopped. He looked down at my hands and a smile crept up on his beautiful face.

"His son proposed to you, did he not?" He asked but I put my hand behind my back.

"Yes. What's your point?" I asked as I turned the ring around on my finger in my back.

"So, this is the reason why you want to visit the Elves. So you can be with your love." He said with a smile.

"Yes, so _now_ will you let me go with you?" I asked.

"Yes. I will take you to the north but I must warn you. It will be a long and dangerous journey." He said as he started packing again.

"I don't care. But thank you very much. When will I meet you?" I asked as I went towards the door.

"I will come to the Cullen house to say farewell to Carlisle and we shall meet in the forest behind their household." He explained. "Pack lightly but efficiently. This will take a few days."

"Alright…" I said as I reached for the knob but Frederic put his hand on my shoulder to stop me. I turned around and saw that he was holding a ring out for me. "What's that?"

"If you are worried about the visions your friend can produce, this ring will block your decisions from her." He said as he put it on my index finger on my right hand—I had so many rings on my left hand, mostly rings that had the Cullen crest on it and my new engagement ring, that the right hand was the only free one—and it fit perfectly. "And this is a video telephone. If you would like to give it to your fiancé, I have my own on me. There is only one number in the contacts, which is my own. Give it to your friends. I am sure they would like to talk to you during the journey." He said as he handed me a black mobile with a big screen on it.

"Thank you." I said as I opened the door and started to head towards the corridor as I put the mobile in my pocket.

"Meet me in the forest in an hour." He said in the hallway.

"Alright, see ya." I said as I turned around and started running backwards. I was out of the hotel in no time and started heading towards my car. I knew this was only the start of my separation from Edward but I would have to endure it.

I arrived at the Cullen house only minutes after my talk with Frederic and everyone was in the living room, watching a Japanese comedy show. How the heck did they get Japanese channels? I tried to go towards my room to pack but suddenly, Alice was in front of me in a flash with a big smile on her face. Oh no… Something wasn't right about this.

"Um… Alice?"

"OH! I'm so happy for you! I can't believe you're going to be my new sister!" She said as she hugged me and lifted me off of the ground. She squeezed so hard that she was starting to cut my circulation. It was surprising that my shoulder didn't hurt this time.

"Alice… can't… breathe…" I tried to say.

"Sorry! I'm just so excited! Now, I can start planning your wedding in advance!" She said as she went towards her room.

"This is going to be a long year…" I said as I went towards my room but got interrupted by Esme and Rosalie, followed by Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper.

"Congratulations Jules! I'm so happy for you." Rosalie said as she gave me a hug and I returned it.

"Welcome to the family Jules." Esme said as Rosalie stepped aside and let Esme come towards me and gave me a loving hug. I hugged her back with as much love as I could and smiled at the guys.

Esme stepped aside and Carlisle gave me a hug too. Did Carlisle _ever_ give people hugs? Suddenly, Emmett gave me a bear hug after Carlisle was done and he was about to squeeze me to death. "Woo! Welcome to the family, sis!" He said with his big lovable childlike voice until he let me go. Now, my back was killing me. Jasper came towards me and extended his hand towards me. I took it and shook it firmly. Were they ever going to let me pass? I needed to go pack since Frederic was coming in about half an hour!

"It's a pleasure to have you with us Jules." He said with a smile. I think he was getting used to having me around.

"Thanks Jasper. Is Edward still out hunting?" I asked as people started to make way.

"Yeah, he'll be back in about an hour. Coming back to Olympia from Canada is quite the run." Alice answered.

"That's cool." I said as I started to walk towards my room. Alice didn't seem to see what was going to happen to me next. Excellent. It would ruin everything if Alice were to see me going off with Frederic to go see the Elves. And it would tick Edward off so much if I did this!

I started to pack a few clothes in my bag and found myself bringing many things with me. I was able to put a lot of things in a camping bag. I decided to bring a couple of my favorite books, like _The Neverending Story_, _Oliver Twist_ and of course _The Lord of the Rings_. Since I brought _The Lord of the Rings_, it took most of my space—since it was the whole book with the three books in it—and I started putting out my clothes and a few necessities. After I was finished packing, I looked at the time and realized that Frederic would arrive in less than five minutes. I wanted to let Edward know what was going to happen so; I took a piece of paper out of my desk and a pen and started writing. Luckily, my hand writing wasn't terrible.

Edward

I know this is a little setback but there is something that I want to tell you. Please don't be mad but I went with Frederic to see the Elves. I know that it's hard but I want to be able to be in your arms like we used to. With all this magic going on, it's hard for me to be able to get close to you. I want to be able to kiss you without any problems. I'll be back as soon as I can but I just wanted to do what's best.

I love you with all my heart and I will always love you.

Yours always,

Jules

PS: There's a phone on the bed that you can talk to me with. I love you.

After I was done with the note, I heard the doorbell ring. Frederic really _did_ have perfect timing! I grabbed my coat and put the bag on my back and opened my glass door. It was a good thing that my room was on the main floor. I ran into the woods and waited for Frederic to come out. I waited maybe five minutes and saw someone emerge from the forest. I jumped up and saw Frederic step out with his pirate white shirt and blue jeans. He had a camping bag just like me on his back.

"Are we ready?" He asked.

"Yes. Let's go before they realized what I did." I said.

"They will find you with your scent."

"Anything you can give me for that small problem?" I said as we started walking slowly.

"There is a potion that blocks the scent of one person for a time period but it tastes rather bitter." He explained.

"You have an answer for everything, don't you?" I asked him with a little sarcasm behind my voice.

"Yes. In fact, I do." He said as he searched in the side pockets of his bag to get a small vile with a blue liquid in it. "Here. It will hide your scent for a time being." He said as he handed me the small vile and I drank it. It tasted like a lot of lemons put into this. I make a pucker face and gave Frederic the vile back.

"Oh god! This tastes really sour!" I said as he took the vile.

"I warned you." He said before chuckling. "Now, we have a long road ahead of us." He said as I followed him. This was going to be an interesting journey…

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**Bellacullenswan17**

7


	7. Journey to the North

**Alright people, I know I haven't updated in like forever but I've got a load of chapters to give you guys!!! So here you go!!! READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 7

Journey to the North

The scenery was extremely beautiful as we adventured towards some mountains. We were walking for hours until Frederic suggested that we take a little break. We sat down in silence and he gave me a lovely red apple. My jaw started to approach it when suddenly, my hip started to vibrate. I stopped and took out whatever was vibrating in my pocket. It was the mobile phone. Oh no…

"This can't be good…" I whispered as I pressed the talk button and saw my angel on the screen.

"Juliette Elizabeth Shrike!" He almost yelled in the screen. I closed my eyes and made a hard face. I felt like he was screaming right beside me.

I sighed after he stopped screaming. "Ok Edward, if you're using my full name, then it means that I'm in trouble." I said without looking at the screen.

"More trouble than you can imagine!" I heard Rosalie say as she came in the screen.

"Is everyone there?!" I asked surprisingly.

"Oh yeah!" I heard all of the Cullens say in the background as Edward pulled the phone away from him and I could see everyone.

"Why couldn't have waited for me?! All of us would have gone to the Elves instead of you going alone with the Shaman." Edward said as he pointed in the screen and I turned my head around to see Frederic behind me, lying around.

"I do have a name, young vampire!" He said loudly.

"And how the heck am I _not_ able to see you right now?!" Alice asked as her little pixie self came into view. "I can't see you at all!" She seemed really ticked right now.

"I'm sorry. I forgot to take the ring off." I said as I laid the phone down on my lap and started taking off the ring in front of them.

"Ring?! What ring?!" She asked but then, she saw the ring and looked bewildered. "Is that…?" She started asking herself.

"She has a Kirnyka. It's capable of blocking your visions. How did you…?" Carlisle asked as I put the ring in my pocket.

"Frederic loaned it to me. What?! I had to get passed you somehow without you stopping me!" I said defensively. "And don't deny that fact Alice!"

"Fine! Where are you?" Alice asked.

"I'm not going to tell you. If I do, you're going to come and get me and I have to get to them. I want this to be over." I replied.

"But—" Edward tried to reply but I wouldn't let him.

"I'm sorry Edward but I'm going. I love you." I said before hanging up on him. I closed my eyes and put the phone in my pocket again. Frederic got up and put his bag on. I did the same. "Where's our next step?" I asked.

"We cannot go around the cliff so; we will have to do a little cliff climbing." He said as he pointed towards a rocky cliff a few kilometers in front of us. It looked easy enough to climb but it looked dangerous. Edward would kill me if he found out I did cliff climbing…

"Alright. Let's go." I said as I took the first step towards the cliff. It took us a few minutes to arrive and Frederic took out a few things from his backpack. When he found what he was looking for, he took out a gold medal belt.

"What is that?" I asked as I pointed towards the belt.

"This is a Belts of Santiana. They are capable of defying the laws of gravity when one is climbing or working." He said as he handed me the belt. It was quite heavy but it was beautiful with the gold medal and jewels all around the belt. "All the tools I lend you, they are yours to keep." He said with a smile.

"Really?!" I asked. These were incredible. He would let me keep the ring _and_ the belt. This was incredible! "Thank you." I said. I put the belt around my waist and I felt myself being pulled upwards, as if I was being pulled by someone with an invisible string. I went towards the rocks and started climbing. This was ridiculously easy! With the belt, it made rock climbing a riot! I tried to look beside me and I saw Frederic climb past me at an incredible speed. With his vampire speed, he made it to the top in under a minute. "Hey! That's cheating!" I said as I was almost to the top but suddenly, a rock under me fell over and I started to fall backwards. The belt was trying to help me but I just kept on falling. I tried to catch a rock but I was falling badly. I made a back flip and took one of the rocks to hold myself with. Suddenly, when I grabbed the rock, I stopped falling and was dangling about fifty feet off the ground. I tried lifting my hand but the belt was helping me up and I could climb but I felt my hands sting with each movement I did. Did I hurt them or something?

As Frederic stuck his hand out to help me up, I lifted my hand but saw that it was stained with a little blood. Great… He removed his hand and I got up by myself. My legs were hurting because of the impact but they weren't injured. "Are you alright?" He asked as he handed me some gauzes to put around my hand. I took it and looked at him with a smile.

"Yeah… Next time, I'll just wear gloves." I said as I put the gauze around my palm carefully and was done in a few minutes. I took the pair of leather gloves that Emmett got me for Christmas to hide the gauze and continued on towards the trees. I turned around to find Frederic looking at me. "Aren't you coming?" I asked with a smile.

He smiled and put his bag on his back and came towards me. "Even if you are injured, you still want to keep going." He said as he passed me. What was that all about? I wasn't going to stop now. We kept going for a few hours and suddenly, Frederic suggested that we stop here for the day. Twilight was rising on the river a few meters away from our camp and night was falling fast. He suggested lighting a fire but he couldn't do it so, I took a few rocks and branches and started making a fire. It was surprising that he didn't want to do it.

"I'm guessing you can't get close to fire?" I asked as I started making my supper. I had brought with me a pot and Frederic had brought a few sausages and vegetables that I could make a soup with.

"Your fiancé never told you how vampires die?" He asked as he stared at the sky.

"Um… it was never brought into the conversation." It scared me at first at the thought of vampires dying. I figured that it was because of sunlight but Edward told me that he was like a diamond in the sun. I never saw him or any other vampire do that because it was always cloudy outside when I was out with a vampire. Even now, it's been a day of traveling and it's been cloudy all day. Edward had killed Gus but the details were fuzzy. All I could remember was a blazing pain. "How _do_ vampires die exactly?" I asked as I stopped making supper and took it off of the fire.

It took him a minute to start talking but I wasn't trying to pressure him or anything. "Fire. If we touch fire, we get scarred for life. Fire is something that cannot be healed. Even if vampires are fast healers, it is the only materiel that can stop the healing."

The memories were flooding back in. I could see it clearly in my mind like if it was happening right in front of me. I could remember my entire body burning because of the venom and I turned my head to see Gus in a heap of flames. Suddenly, I could see Alice and the Angel of Death behind her. Her head came closer and before she bit me, I closed my eyes to forget those painful memories. I shook my head and opened my eyes seconds later to find Frederic staring at me. "What seems to be troubling you?" He asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just… a bad memory." I said as I started eating my delicious supper. Even in the wild I could make a pretty good meal. There was silence for a long time after that conversation.

"How did you get back up to the rocks with that flip?" Frederic asked me a few hours after my meal. I was reading _The Neverending Story_ when he asked me that question out of the blue. It had been a while since that event and my hands were starting to sting after a while. "It was quite interesting to see." He added.

"Um… I just… used basic karate. I learned it so many years ago; I'm surprised I still remember how to do it." I said as I closed the book.

"How much do you know?"

"More than you can imagine…" I whispered to myself as I turned my head to look in the opposite direction.

"I would like to see it, if you give me permission to." He said with a smile. I turned my head swiftly to look at him. _Was he serious?_ I asked myself.

"You want me… to fight you?" I asked.

"Not I, but an illusion. I would like to see your talents. If you are as good as I believe, then you shall need it in these parts of the woods. There are dangerous creatures lurking around." He said.

"More dangerous than vampires?"

"Much."

I couldn't believe he was asking something like this from me. I hadn't done karate since I was eleven and after seven years, I would be so rusty it would be unbelievable. "Alright. What kind of illusion?" I said as I gave in to this proposal.

"I suppose we could show you the person you want to defeat the most. Does that sound fair?" He asked. I was thinking of only one person that I wanted to kick his butt more than anything. Benjamin Rogers. He had been my enemy for years and even if it was only an illusion, I would be the one to kick his butt!

"Sounds perfect…" I said with a big smile on my face.

"We shall do it first thing tomorrow morning." He said as he got up.

"What's the weather supposed to be tomorrow?" I asked.

"Sunny."

"Wait, do we have to stay here? Cause Edward told me that vampires could be noticed easily in the sunlight." I asked. I was curious to see if we were going to leave tomorrow or stay here. I wanted to see Edward in the sunlight but any other vampire could do.

"Have you ever seen a vampire in the sunlight, Jules?" He asked as he turned around so that his back was facing me.

"No…" I simply answered but a little hesitation in my voice.

"Then we shall adventure forward." He said as he turned his head to face me with a smile that looked beautiful on his marble face.

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**Bellacullenswan17**

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	8. Training

**So, here's another one of the many chapters for you guys!! READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 8

Training

_I was back in the dark room in Vancouver. I tried to look around me but I only found darkness and torches lit slightly with fire. Around me were Edward, Alice and Rosalie. As I walked slightly, they started to disappear behind me in total darkness. "Edward?" I asked as I tried to walk around but I came across Gus, and Edward. But it wasn't my Edward. No, this one had crimson red eyes and looked frightening. He grabbed my neck and pinned me against a wall. "Alice… Rose…" I tried to say but nobody came. Edward kept squeezing harder and harder against my neck until he started bringing his head down towards my right shoulder. He bit into it and started sucking. As I felt my strength weaken, I saw a figure in black in front of me. It was the Angel of Death. He put his hand in front of me and I could feel myself slipping away. Suddenly, I saw myself standing in a white gown going towards Death. How was that possible? They started to walk away and I closed my eyes. NO!_

I opened my eyes and shot up in a sitting position in a hurry. I was covered in sweat and my breathing was irregular. Why was it always in the same place?

"Are you alright?" I heard a strong and firm British voice ask me from a few meters away. I tried to look where the voice came from and I saw Frederic coming closer to me.

"Yeah… just a—" I said but suddenly, an intense wave of pain shot up my right shoulder. I clutched it in pain and wanted to scream but held it in. Frederic brought me a glass of blue liquid under my nose and I looked at him in pain.

"Drink it. It will stop the pain for a while." He said as I took it without questions and started drinking it. It tastes like blueberries. When I was done with the blueberry-flavor liquid, the pain started to evaporate swiftly. I relaxed a little and looked up at the sky. Light was showing through spots of the tree but none where Frederic and I were. Suddenly, Frederic got up and a beam of sunlight shown on him. He started to sparkle like a diamond put in the light. It was like his skin was covered with glitters. He was beautiful.

"You're beautiful…" I said as I started to get up.

"You might tend to believe that vampires are beautiful in the sunlight but it is only an illusion. Vampires are the most dangerous predator to walk this earth. Our conscience changes in the sunlight. We become fiercer than before. We attack innocent people without willpower." He said as he got out of the sunlight and the glittering stopped. "How do you feel now?" He asked as he sat next to me.

"Better. Thanks." I said as I pulled the cover to the side and got up and stretched. I couldn't believe I just slept on a blanket where roots were poking into my back. My whole body was aching and as I stretched, it helped slightly. "So, when do you want to start?" I asked as I went into my bag and grabbed a change of clothes and my bathroom kit.

"As soon as you are ready, we may begin. I would just like to see how skilled you are in hand-combat." He said as I went towards a tree to get changed but suddenly, I saw a waterfall right behind us. It was beautiful and I wondered… Could I take a quick shower?

"Mind if I take a shower first?"

"Alright. Are those products environment friendly?" He asked with a smile. Of course it was. I never wanted to hurt the earth and if I did, I would feel bad about it later.

"Don't worry. Everything that I buy is environment friendly. Even shampoo. It's supposed to give you perfect hair and grow plants." I said with a smile as I went towards the waterfall and started taking a quick and relaxing shower under the small waterfall. It wasn't painful. If I was under a fifty feet one, then it would be dangerous but it was about eight to ten feet.

It took a few minutes for me to get dressed and go meet Frederic. He was waiting for me in a clearing quite large with many trees around. It would look like a small arena. The trees made perfect walls and the arena was large enough to have hundreds of people in it. "Are we ready?" He asked with his hands behind his back, waiting like a soldier at war.

"Yeah." I said as I went a few feet away from him and he snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a tall man with short black hair and green eyes, wearing a white T-Shirt and blue jeans appeared in front of me. Ben had an evil grin on his face, like he was content to be here but it was only an illusion.

"This'll be fun. I get to beat the heck out of Shrike without anybody complaining about it!" He said with his firm amused tone.

"Don't think so, dude!" I said as he came towards me in a run and started punching at me. I avoided the hits and tried to get some of my own but it was like he knew all of my moves. I went on in a crouch and tried to kick his ankles. It worked. When I swished past him with my foot, he immediately started to fall to the ground but he did a back flip and arrived on his feet in a karate ready position.

"Is that all you got Shrike?!" He asked as I went into a ready position myself.

"In your dreams…" I said as I ran towards him and jumped in the air and kicked him in the chest. He fell backwards and was on his back by the time I fell back on the floor. He got to his feet and started punching and kicking like a maniac. I avoided every shot and suddenly, he was going to do a left punch but did a right instead that I didn't have enough time to block it and he hit me right in the face hard. I did a cartwheel and arrived on my knees. I wiped the blood off of my lip and he came at me with a kick. I jumped in the air and caught one of the tree branches and did a front flip to arrive on the thick branch. When I studied karate, I was thought how to control my balance on short surfaces like branches or ropes. It was very hard but I still mastered it.

As I tried to balance myself on the branch, Frederic looked at me with astonishment. I don't think he ever saw someone do something like that. I wobbled on the branch as I tried to put myself in a ready position and Ben was looking at me with anger.

"Come down and fight, coward!" He almost screamed at me.

"How about you come up?" I teased.

"Jump down here so I can beat you!" He said. I took that as a sign to finish this.

"If you say so…" I said as I made a flip and kicked him in the stomach and I was now on top of him. I backed my arm into a fist and showed Ben that I was ready to swing whenever he moved. I was panting by the time Ben was looking at me. I held his shoulder in place and he didn't try to escape. "I think this is over." I told Ben but suddenly, he disappeared and I lost my balance on the disappearing Ben and fell front first in the grass.

"Impressive. I have not seen anything like this in my lifetime. Where did you learn such moves?" He said as I sat in the grass and started panting heavily. I could feel sweat on my forehead and that just ruined my shower!

"When I was younger, there was this Japanese fighter that was teaching kung fu or something and he only wanted to teach one person. In twenty people, he chose me. He started training me and in the end, it cost my mom an arm and a leg and I learned a lot." I explained. Suddenly, I could feel my hip vibrating and I took out the mobile. Edward was calling. I pushed the _talk_ button on the phone and Edward's face appeared. "Hey there." I said with a smile.

"Hello love. Why are you covered in sweat?" He asked.

"Um… it's just boiling outside. I was just taking a break." I lied. I didn't want Edward to freak out over this. He probably saw my split lip but I tried to hide it as much as possible with my free hand.

"That's a lie." A soft manly voice said in the background.

"Jasper! You snitch!" I said. He was always telling Edward whether I was lying or not.

"Jules, what really happened?" Edward's angelic voice asked me.

"Fine… I was training with Frederic. He says that it's going to be dangerous up ahead so he wants to start training me." I explained.

"Wait for us. We'll come and help you." He said into the phone.

"No! No, don't come here Edward. It's going to be fine. I can handle myself." I said.

"Alright. Then we'll meet you in the village of the Elves." He said hastily.

"Edward, you—" I tried to say but he wasn't listening to me.

"I love you." He said before looking away.

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen! If you—" I tried to say but he already ended the connection. "Dang…" I said as I put the phone back in my pocket.

"What is it?" Frederic asked as he came towards me.

"The Cullens are going to meet us apparently in the village of the Elves." I said as I took the dirt off of my jeans.

"Then we had better start your training right this instant. Since you are capable of handling yourself in hand combat, I shall teach you enough to handle yourself in sword combat." He said as he picked up two shielded swords from his backpack. I can't believe he was letting an eighteen year old girl use a sword. "There are some techniques that will defeat any enemy. Those are the ones I will teach you. We had better get started before it gets dark." He said as I took the sword out of its sheath and looked at it with more detail.

It was beautifully curved like an Indian sword like in the book _Aladdin_. The sword was beautiful in the sunlight and there was an inscription on the blade. It was a language I couldn't read. "What does this say?" I asked as I pointed to the sword.

"_Wisdom in power_. It was a gift from the Alderons." He responded.

"Who are they?"

"They are ancient warriors who specialize in building magical weapons. They live in the South, opposite from the Elves." He explained. "Now, we shall start easily. Some maneuvers and afterwards, the techniques."

The day went by and when night fell, I was trained and ready to go into any battle that came our way. I went to sleep with a peaceful mind.

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	9. Fever

**Alright, so this chapter is short but good. READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 9

Fever

As morning came, I felt more tired than ever. I opened my eyes to find the sky cloudy, as usual. As I sat straight up, my head started to feel extremely dizzy. I tried to put my hand on my forehead to stop the spinning but I fell back onto the hard ground. I closed my eyes and put my hand back on my side but I felt lifeless. Frederic came beside me and looked at me worried. I tried to open my eyes but it took most of my strength. "Are you alright?" He asked as he put his hand to my forehead. His cold hand felt extremely good on my burning skin. What was happening to me?

I tried to respond but I couldn't find my voice. It felt as if I was drained of everything. My voice, my strength, my senses; everything was gone. I tried to move but nothing would respond. "This is not good… Juliette, where is the mobile I gave you?" He asked. I remember putting the phone in my bag before going to bed last night. I couldn't even lift my arm up so; I did the only thing I could do at this time. I turned my head towards the bag on my right and opened my eyes slightly. My vision was dangerously blurry.

"In your bag?" He asked. I tried to find my voice and I was able to say yes very sheepishly. He got up and looked in all the front pockets until he found it and took it out. He started pushing the number to the other mobile and I could faintly hear my surroundings. I was just so tired that nothing would function anymore. I did my best to make out what was going on and I could hear an angelic voice say my name. That was Edward.

"No. It is Frederic. May I speak to Carlisle for a moment?" Frederic asked.

"Did something happen?" Edward asked.

"It is quite urgent that I speak with Carlisle at this moment." Frederic sounded in a hurry. What was wrong with me?

I could hear Edward passing the phone to Carlisle. "What seems to be the problem?" Carlisle asked.

"Juliette has a very high fever and she doesn't seem to be responding to anything. I believe it is related to the magic running inside her. What do you recommend?" Frederic asked.

"Try giving her some remedies. Maybe it'll cool the fever down a little. But I can't assure you that it will go down completely." Carlisle said.

"Then I shall take her to the Elves. Maybe they can stop her fever." I heard Frederic say. It was a good idea.

"That would be too dangerous! If she moves, it might bring her fever even higher!" I heard Carlisle say in panic.

"I have no choice Carlisle! There are Storks on our trail right now! If we stay here, she will be too vulnerable and I cannot protect her like this. It would be better if I carry her to the Elves." Frederic persuaded. What were these "Storks"?

It took a little while for Carlisle to respond but I could hear him sigh in the mobile. "Alright… But don't try to run. The cold wind isn't good for her. Be very careful." I let out a small breath and Frederic looked at me. I closed my eyes and tried not to think of my horrible headache right now.

"Do not worry. I will." Is it just me, or does Frederic never use shorter words? He closed the mobile and started packing some things in my backpack. He put his hands behind my back after he was done putting things in my bag and started putting something around me. I was guessing that it was a blanket. It was warm but my body was already boiling. "Do not worry Jules. This is only precautions." He said as he started to put me on his back and tied something around my waist so fast that I couldn't comprehend anything. My mind was getting weaker by the second and I hoped that it would end soon.

He put something over my back again and on my head. I started to feel like I was in a sauna. It was so hot in here that it was incredible! He made me put my arms around his neck and he tied something soft around my wrists. It didn't hurt but I couldn't move. Suddenly, he put a blanket over my head and all I could see was darkness under the blanket. He put both bags in his hands and was ready to go. "Do not worry Juliette. You will feel better soon." was all I could hear before everything went black. I fell into a deep sleep and dreamt of the dark place in Vancouver… Why wouldn't this nightmare ever end?

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**Bellacullenswan17**

3


	10. Silver haired guardian

**Alright, you know the drill. READ AND REVIEW PLEASE:)!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 10

Silver-haired guardian

I woke up in a start. I was still dreaming of Edward sucking my blood and Death coming to get me but this time was different. Gus was the one biting me and Edward sucking my blood. Were they both trying to kill me? When I woke up, I saw myself in a cave. I turned my head and looked around. It was raining heavily outside. I looked at my surroundings and found Frederic concocting a remedy or something like that. "Good night." He said with a smile as he saw that I was awake in a sitting position under a blanket.

"Night? How long had I been out?" I asked as I removed the hair that was plastered to my forehead. Did I sweat?

"A day and a half. That fever of yours made you quite sick." Fever? What happened?

"I can't remember a thing… What happened?" I said as I flung the blanket to the side and rubbed my hair a little.

"When you woke up yesterday, you had a fever of a hundred and four degrees. Your love was quite worried. He called three times to check up on you. I had to run to get as far away as possible from our camp but your fever was spiking slightly. I had to stop and give you some remedies but suddenly, the rain started to fall and I had to find somewhere to stop. I found this cave and it has not stopped raining since this morning." He explained.

"Is my fever dropping?" I asked.

"Slightly but yes, it is slowly dying." Frederic said.

"Well, that's good… By the way, what are "Storks"?" I asked as I sat up on the blanket.

"Devilish little creatures. Their appearance is something repulsive but they are fighters. They go after their pray with such brutal force that it is hard to defeat them. Hard but it is possible. Their weapons are to be feared. They can affect more than just the fighting skills. But we will have to face them in the near future. I will try to find a route around it but so far, we are going straight into enemy territory."

"Then what do we do?" I could feel my strength returning slowly but I was able to get up slowly.

"Get to the Elves as soon as possible. We will have to come extra prepared if we want to survive against the Storks. I will start taking out the weapons. You should rest for now. Your body will need all the strength we can afford for this battle." Frederic said as he searched in his backpack for something. Probably getting out the weapons we were to use.

"Alright…" I said as I sat back down in my "bed" and drifted to sleep. I tried to picture Edward but nothing would come to mind. Only one thing showed… The Vancouver dream again.

It seemed like forever when my eyelids decided to open with a start. My nightmare had returned and this time, Death was close to getting me. Frederic saw my startle and looked at me with worried eyes. "What seems to be the problem?" He asked me with his strong British voice.

"Nothing… Just a bad dream."

"Would you like to discuss about it?" Frederic asked.

"It's just… When Edward came to save me a few months ago in Vancouver… Someone took over him and he attacked me. The dream keeps repeating nonstop but it changes… He keeps on killing me and Death comes to take me." I explained. I don't know why I was telling Frederic so much about my life events but, it felt good. It felt like talking to a long lost friend.

"That must be hard…" He said, barely above a whisper. Suddenly, a wave of pain erupted in my shoulder and I tried to hold back a wince but it was hard. I winced after a few seconds of the pain and Frederic came to my side in an instant. "Does it hurt a lot?" He asked as he put his hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah…" I tried to say as I placed my hand on my shoulder to try to dull the pain. That wasn't working but suddenly, I felt as if someone was tracing patterns on my scar. I turned my head to find that his fingers were moving at lightning speed with a red glow to the tip of his pale fingers. What was he doing? Suddenly, I felt the pain dull and stop soon afterwards. I relaxed and Frederic went back to the backpack. "What was it that you were doing with your fingers?" I asked as I got up and started picking my new clothes.

"A special trick I was thought decades ago. It dulls the pain for an amount of hours but it just interrupts the pain. You could say it is my own personal brand of white magic." He said as he picked up three swords from his backpack.

"Do you think you could teach it to me?" I approached him slowly as he put the swords beside the wall. He smiled and turned to face me.

"Perhaps after we arrive in the Elf City and you are healed I shall teach it to you. But I must warn you that it is extremely hard work to learn this white magic." He explained.

"Hey! I learned those two other spells just fine so I think I can handle this one." I replied with a smile of my own forming on my lips.

"Alright. I shall teach you." He said and flashed me a dazzling smile but it could never compare to Edward's smile. Suddenly, memories started flooding into me…

_I was standing in a valley in front of a beautiful Japanese style mansion. I remembered this place! This was the place Chanel took me nine years ago to train with Master Fuujio in Seattle! I looked around a saw a young girl with long brown hair tied in a high ponytail kicking and punching at a wooden cylinder. She looked to be about eight or nine… I remembered that young girl… That was me! In front of my younger self stood an old man with a long flowing gray beard. That must have been Master Fuujio! Beside him stood another man. He was much younger than him with long silver hair with golden eyes. He looked at the young girl with an expression of apprehension and longing. But wait… That was—_

The memory ended and I closed my eyes for a few seconds. I shook my head to try to get the memory out of my mind and I started looking at Frederic. He seemed worried.

"What is the matter?"

"I know you from somewhere… Why didn't I remember before?! You used to be Master Fuujio's assistant! I remember you from when I was younger! You were always with him in whatever I was doing!" I exclaimed. I let my clothes drop on the floor willingly and I could hear the anger in my voice. Why was I mad at Frederic? I didn't want to.

"So you remembered. I hoped the memory would come back to you in a certain way but I did not expect you to remember when you were awake." He said as he sat down on a big flat rock.

"Why didn't you tell me the day you saw me back in the cave when you saved me?" I asked as I sat down myself in front of him.

"It was not something I wanted you to remember. I did not want you to remember me that way." He said.

"Why?"

"Because back then, I was only an assistant for a karate master. Master Fuujio wanted me to follow in his footsteps so I could teach as well as he did." He explained. I just sat there and listened. I wanted to know the whole story, from beginning to end. "When you asked Master Fuujio to train you, he wanted me to stay by his side. As I watched you train in that valley, a vision hit me. I saw you how you are now. Eighteen, in love, in danger… I saw many sights one after another.

"It was incredible. I had never had so many visions hit me all at once. Of course, Master Fuujio knew I was a vampire with a great talent so, he brought me inside the temple while you kept training. He did not want you to see my talent and ask many questions about the subject. My first vision was of you in the horrible car accident. You were badly injured and bleeding to death. Suddenly, it ended and the next one came in swiftly. I saw you with a tall bronzed-hair man with beautiful pale skin and black eyes and two other females bearing his appearance." He took a pause. I knew who he was talking about. He was telling me about the day in Vancouver when Edward, Alice and Rose were saving me from Gus. He sighed and continued his tale. "You were dying of some poison in your system and they were trying to save you. There was another one after that. I could see you slightly older than my second vision in the arms of the tall bronzed-hair man. He was dry sobbing over your body. I recognized you immediately. But, there was something wrong in this picture. Your heart-beat was slowing, rapidly. The man kept saying "_Jules, I'm so sorry_" or "_Don't leave me_". Things like that. Suddenly, the visions ended and I was back in the temple beside Master Fuujio.

"The visions were terrifying. I had just seen you healthy and practicing so hard. To see you lying there, suffering and on the verge of death, I could not force myself to think of that. Master Fuujio asked me about what I had seen and I explained. He seemed frightened by them and frankly, so was I. He told me to watch an eye on you for as long as you were still living. To be your guardian whenever you were in trouble. And so I did. I kept watch over you for nine years night and day until you moved in with your father a few months ago. I kept a watch on you through my visions. I tried to make them appear to me by will but it was only an attempt. Usually, the visions came to me without my permission and I could not turn them off. When the tall bronze-hair man appeared in one of my visions, I knew that he could keep you safe. I still kept a watchful eye from time to time but not as much. I gave you and your love some privacy." He explained.

"Thanks for that." I said sarcastically. "So, you've been watching over me for nine years straight? Did my mother ever know about this?" I asked.

"Only one person knew and still knows."

"But Master Fuujio was almost sixty-six when he was training me! And he had a bad illness to boot! How could he still be alive right now?" I asked. Master Fuujio only had a few months left to live when he stopped training me six years ago and I don't believe he could still be alive right now.

"Before I started keeping an eye on you, he asked me for a favor. He wanted me to change him into a vampire before he could die. Mostly, I refused the idea. But he proposed to teach me a new technique that no one else knew but him. It was an amazing offer so, I went for it. I changed him and in three days, he was a vampire. Although, something was different. He was younger. Normally, when someone is turned into a vampire, his appearance stays the same as when he was changed. But this time, Master Fuujio was much younger." He explained. He turned his head towards the entrance of the cave and I followed his gaze. It wasn't raining anymore outside. Now, there was a rainbow forming across the sky, showing its wonderful colors.

"So, what was this technique he showed you?" I asked.

"He showed me a technique that could bring two angels to me. The Angel of Destiny and the Angel of Death." He said as he looked straight into my sea blue eyes. "When your oldest brother died a few months ago, I saw the pain in you. It was unbearable to see someone so constantly happy become cheerless in an instant for so long. I knew that I had to change that so, I called the Angel of Destiny and I asked her if he could bring your brothers back as guardian angels. He agreed on only one condition. That I never asked him for something like that again." He chuckled at the idea. I can't believe it was him that brought my brothers back to me. It was silent for a few minutes. I guess he was finished telling his story.

"Thank you." I said at last.

"You do not need to thank me. You are lucky to have someone as special as your fiancé Edward in your life. It is getting late. You should get some rest." He said as he went outside and stretched a little. I didn't realize that it was so late. We must have been talking for a long time. But I was glad to have a guardian like Frederic for so long. My own silver-haired guardian.

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	11. Battle

**Alright, so read away my minions and REVIEW PLEASE!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 11

Battle

_I was still in my dream. Edward was standing in front of me with his menacing eyes. I couldn't look away as he approached me and grabbed my neck. I tried to tell him to stop but he just stood there, snarling at me. This wasn't my Edward… He kept squeezing my neck until I saw Frederic beside us. He looked worried. Gus came behind Edward and put his hand on my boyfriend's shoulder. If I could kill him, I would. Suddenly, I felt something cold on my left shoulder. It was Frederic's hand. _

_"Fight him Jules. Gain control of him again." He said in his accent. I tried telling Edward how much I loved him but suddenly, he brought his head closer to my shoulder. He bit my shoulder and I couldn't help screaming. NO!_

I woke up in a start once again. Even though the nightmare was different, it didn't change the fact that it was still frightening. To think that my Edward could ever be this menacing and threatening was just unbearable. I wanted Edward to hold me in his arms like before. I wouldn't be able see his face for quite some time still but I would enjoy every minute of being with him.

I got up, took a quick shower in the nearby waterfall and got changed before Frederic was back. He probably went hunting because his eyes shined with its golden tint, which wasn't like that yesterday. "How was the hunt?" I asked as I prepared my backpack for the journey up ahead. I knew that today would be the day that we would be stepping into the enemy lines against the Storks but Frederic had though of a way to get around. There would still be Storks waiting for us but less than if we took the first route.

"Satisfying. How are you feeling this morning?" I never even thought of my fever but I felt fine right now.

"Healthy as a horse."

"I see you are getting ready for our last day of the journey." He said as he put his backpack on his back as I followed his actions. I faced him abruptly and looked at him bewildered.

"We're arriving this soon?!" I asked. This was incredible. Edward said that the Cullens would be meeting us in the Elf City so I would be able to see Edward very soon.

"Yes. It will take us a day's journey and we will arrive at the Elf City. But our only obstacle is the Storks. I believe that if we take the new route, we will be able to avoid mostly all of them. So, let us head off as soon as possible." He said as he went towards the three swords still on the cave wall. "Here, take this. It will serve you as an extra weapon. Do you still have that sword I gave you a few days ago?" He asked as he gave me the sword. It was a sword with a red glow to it. There were still inscriptions on it but this time they were in English. It said: _With great skill comes great power_. Strong words that I didn't understand. But I would very soon.

"Yeah, it's in my bag on the top."

"Good, take it out and put it around your belt." He said as I took the backpack off of my back and took out the sword. Good thing I was always wearing a belt around my jeans or else my pants would fall off on their own. Frederic gave me a strong piece of rope and I was able to tie the sword around my belt on my left side and I put the other sword on my right side the same way as my _Aladdin_ sword. I didn't know the name of the swords so, it was easier to name them _Aladdin_ and _Bloodshot_. The new sword that Frederic gave me looked like dry blood had remained on the sword but it was the design, as Frederic assured me. We set off soon after Frederic gave me my weapons and in a few hours, we arrived in a part of the forest that had many huts and towers around.

"This is the Storks' encampment. We need to go around to be able to be unnoticed. They have sentries all over the towers. Luckily, they aren't smart enough to have people around the camp. I will have to run if we want to get out of here as fast as possible. The camp is pretty big. You will have to climb onto my shoulders and hold on tight." He said as he crouched and I went onto his shoulders like a little kid. I held tight to his neck as he started running softly so I wouldn't fall but it was still fast.

He seemed to be running for a few minutes until he stopped slowly. "What's wrong?" I asked as he went into a crouch for me to get off of his shoulders. When my feet were on the floor, he said: "Some Storks are coming right now. Not many but enough for a battle." He explained.

"What do we do?"

"We fight. Get your weapons out. They are here." He said as I started to hear some snarling and screaming from in front of us. Something was approaching and I wasn't in a hurry to see what Storks looked like. I took out my swords and the screaming was getting louder. As I got into a ready position, creatures as tall as me came out of the forest, weapons in hand. They were the ugliest things I had ever seen! They looked like the goblins that you could picture in _The Lord of The Rings_ novels, except much uglier. Their skin was scaly with what looked like guacamole. They had many tattoos on their body with numerous inscriptions in a different language. They wore medieval clothes that were too big for them, which was probably an advantage on us.

As they approached, Frederic charged at them with all his strength and I followed him. I didn't want to kill anyone but if it was necessary, I hope God wouldn't reject me in Heaven for this. I attacked them with all I had with my weapons and Frederic was killing most of the Storks, although I was only wounding most of them. When I tried to approach Frederic, one of the Storks came at me out of nowhere and cut me across the arm badly. I jabbed my sword in his stomach and removed it seconds later. He fell to the ground motionless and I had killed my first creature ever. My arm was stinging as Frederic killed the last of the Storks. This was over. Suddenly, I started to feel an immense wave of dizziness and I dropped my swords. Frederic looked at me as I closed my eyes and placed a hand to my forehead to try to stop it but it intensified every second. I started to wobble as Frederic rushed to my side.

"Jules? Are you alright?" I heard Frederic say but the dizziness was too much that I started to lose consciousness. I started to fall face front when I felt cold strong arms wrap around me.

"Jules! Answer me! JULES!" was all I heard before darkness engulfed me and Frederic's voice disappeared with it.

When I woke up, I was in a dark room. It was hardly lit, except for the small candle on the nightstand next to the bed I was in. I sat up in the bed uncomfortably and placed my hand on my forehead. Had this been all a dream? One moment I was in the forest with Frederic and now, I'm in a dark room. The last thing I remembered was fighting Storks with Frederic and when we were about to win, one of the Storks attacked me and I started having a huge dizzy spell.

Wait! My arm! I turned my head to see if I still had a scratch on my arm and to see if I was going crazy or not. I wasn't! I had a long scar from my shoulder to my elbow. Then… where was I? I looked at my surroundings to find more information and nothing was looking… homey. The walls looked naked since there were no windows or anything of the sort. There was a bookshelf with a few books but nothing special and a small television in the corner of the room. When my eyes darted towards the door, I saw someone in a black T-shirt with blue jeans resting against the wall closest to me. He had black hair that came to his shoulders tied in a small ponytail and was looking at me with bloodshot red eyes. I knew this man…

"Hello there, my love."

**So, who's the mystery guy? Any clues? REVIEW!!!**

**Bellacullenswan17**

5


	12. Dreaming the opposite

**Alright, so same thing as usual. READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 12

Dreaming the opposite

"Gus." I put as much hatred into the name as I could. This was not happening. This was just not possible! Edward and Rosalie killed him back in Vancouver as Alice was taking the venom out of me.

"I'm glad to see you're awake, darling." He said. Darling?! How dare he call me that!

"I am not, nor will I ever _be_, your darling." I snarled.

"Now, now… What's wrong honey?" He said as he came to sit on the bed and look at me. I got up swiftly and went out of bed before he could sit down. I didn't want this sadistic vampire touching me! He's the one who tortured me for days on end! "Now, you're obviously not feeling well so, why don't you lie down?"

"Where am I?" I could feel the hatred in my voice and he deserved it.

"You're in my house. Don't you remember?" He asked soothingly. He was obviously acting. He knew how much I hated him.

"What I remember is being with Frederic." I said as I closed my hand around the candle stick at the nightstand.

"Who's this Frederic? Come on sweetheart, something's obviously wrong. Why don't you tell me all about it?" He said as he started to come closer and closer to me. I didn't want him to get anywhere near me.

I lifted the candle up to my face so that it would be inches away from his. "Stay away from me! I know how to kill a vampire." I said; my voice as threatening as I could. He looked scared. He knew what fire could do to him. He backed away a few steps and put his hands up protectively to stay away from the candle.

"What has gotten into you, honey?" Gus said as he tried to get close to me but I just brought the candle closer to him.

"Where's Edward?" I asked as I went towards the door. I looked at myself and saw that I was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, the same thing that I was wearing when the Storks attacked Frederic and me.

"Who are these people you keep mentioning? Now come on, we're going to be late for school." He said as he went towards the door and opened it like a gentleman. "Come on, I'll give you a ride there." He said as he took out some car keys.

"I don't want to be anywhere near you! Now, get out of my way before I burn your arm off." I said as I made my way past him roughly. As I made my way out of the bedroom, the living room was the first thing I saw. It was as unwelcoming as the bedroom. The living room was just plain. There was a plain black couch, some wooden cabinets and tables, a small television like in the bedroom and the walls were plain white. This was unbearable to see. I ran to the door and got out. I didn't even know in which city I was but I was just glad to get out of that horrible house with that sadistic vampire.

I ran outside only to find that it was pouring rain outside. I ran as fast as I could to the restaurant at the corner of the street. I needed to be out of the rain and find out where I was. As I entered the small restaurant, I found a payphone close to the cash register and decided to call Edward. There was only one person that I was safe with and it was him.

"Hey! Only paying customers can use the phones!" I heard a manly voice say from behind me before I could even lift the receiver and place a quarter in the machine. I turned around to find a man with an apron full of stains on. Was this the manager?

"Alright, alright! I just wanted to call a ride!" I said as I stepped away from the payphone.

"Then call a cab with your own phone!"

"I don't have one."

"Then you'd better buy something 'cause you're not using that phone!" The man said with the apron pointed to the payphone as he headed towards the kitchen.

I looked around and saw that there were people waiting in line to get served. Maybe I could ask them for a phone. And didn't Gus mention something about school? Weren't we in the summer? School was over! I looked around to try and find a calendar and—I was in luck today—there was a calendar on the wall next to the muffins and deserts. The calendar said… November 21st 2008! How was that possible? I was in July for crying out loud the last time I looked! What was happening?

I poked a man on the shoulder and he turned around abruptly. He looked angry that I poked him but I needed information. "Excuse me sir, but what city is this?" I asked calmly but my voice was lying. I was freaking out!

"Olympia, you idiot!" He said as he turned around again and a waitress came over to show him to his table. Well, at least I was still in the same city as Edward. Maybe I could just meet him at school with the rest of the Cullens. But I had to get there somehow. I tried looking in my pockets for some money—the man in the apron can't say that I can't use the phone if I bought a bottle of water or something!—and luckily, I had my wallet in my back pocket. I never did have a big wallet. I asked the waitress behind the counter for a bottle of water and paid soon afterwards. The man in the apron came out with a plate full of eggs and bread and cast a glance in my direction.

"_Now_, can I use your payphone?" I asked with a hint of rudeness in my voice. I didn't have time to lose right now. I had to get to Edward and I needed a ride to school. Today was just awful and I needed to talk to my boyfriend.

"Oh, do whatever you want! I just want you out of my restaurant!" He said as he ran towards the kitchen in anger. So, he was the manager of this place.

I lifted the receiver, placed a quarter in and called a cab to come and get me at the restaurant. A few minutes later, it arrived and I gave him the leftover money I had just so that he could give me a ride to school. Less than fifteen minutes later, we arrived and I had already missed my two first classes. Now, lunch had just started. I guess the people in the restaurant were eating a late breakfast. Our lunch started at eleven o'clock so it wasn't unnatural.

As I entered Olympia High, I hurried inside the cafeteria. The only way I could get to Edward was to hurry. When I entered the cafeteria, my eyes searched for my love and his siblings but they weren't here yet. I'm sure they would arrive soon. I looked around for Sam and the others and—to my luck once again—they were a few tables away from me. Unfortunately, Gus was there beside Maggy and Lizzy. But he wasn't just there… those two girls who were supposed to be my friends were flirting with him! Their arms were around his neck and their fingers were all over his face! He seemed pleased with this little scene. What was going on here?! And where were Austin or Jack? And where was Sam? I looked around to find them and they were dispersed everywhere. Jack was with the football players, Austin with the nerds from the math class, and Sam was with the cheerleaders.

I walked over to Sam and she saw me approach. She seemed to have changed since the last time I saw her. "Sam, what's going on here?" I asked as I dragged her out from the cafeteria. She seemed angry.

"Get off of me, loser!" She said with her perky voice but it seemed… snooty. It wasn't the Sam that I knew. She snatched her arm away from me and returned to her table. What was going on?

I returned to the cafeteria to find my one true love sitting at a table in the far end corner of the cafeteria with Alice, Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper. Yes. Maybe something could go right today… I rushed over to their table and screamed Edward's name. Everyone in the room turned to look at me and so did Edward and the rest of the Cullens. When I arrived at their table, I put my hands on the table and a smile crept on my face.

"Edward, thank god you're here! Please tell me someone's playing a joke on me." I said as I looked into his golden eyes. He looked confused. Was he a part of this too?

He turned to face Jasper and pointed at me in an annoyed way. "Who is this girl?"

**Ok, so things are getting feisty!!! Gus is 'dating' Jules, Edward doesn't remember Jules!!! AHHH!!! So REVIEW!!!**

**Bellacullenswan17**

5


	13. Forgotten

**Alright, so as I told you guys, you're getting a lot of chapters. But, to tell you the truth, I'd already written these chapters in the past but haven't posted them yet. So you're going to have a completed story tonight!!! READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 13

Forgotten

"Edward…?" This was not happening to me… My own boyfriend couldn't even remember me! "Edward, don't you remember me?" I asked bewildered.

"No, I can't say I do." His velvety voice said.

"Alice, Rose, you know me, don't you?" I asked pleadingly. They shook their heads in disagreement and I looked towards Emmett and Jasper but their answer was the same as everyone else. This wasn't happening… I backed away slowly from them and they looked at me with annoyance. They couldn't remember me… Not at all… NO!

I looked towards Gus's table and saw him looking at me with delight. This was _his_ fault! I walked over to him quickly but Maggy and Lizzy were looking at me with confusion. "Hey honey." Gus said as I grabbed his shirt and he let himself get dragged—since he was a vampire, I didn't have the strength to drag him out alone and he wanted to keep up the act that he was human—out of the cafeteria and into the hallway.

"What's the matter, sugar?" He asked with a sickening smile on his face. What was he planning?

"What have you done?! Edward doesn't remember me and neither do the Cullens! What evil spell have you put on this time?" I asked him as I lost my temper.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said as he started looking at his pale nails. He was stalling, watching his perfect plan fall into place. That made it. I lost it completely. I grabbed his shirt with all my might but it didn't compare to anything. I wasn't strong enough to go up against a sadistic vampire. He grabbed my wrist and started squeezing. The pain was starting to become unbearable and I let go of his shirt. I rubbed my wrist, which had started to become purple, and looked at him in anger. "You know who's in charge here. Don't push it." He said as he started slapping my face lightly and playfully but the last slap was hard across the face. Why weren't there ever a teacher around when these things happened?

He walked back in the cafeteria and I was left in the hallway with tears running down my face. My face was stinging and my wrist had a searing pain to it. Suddenly, I started to feel something cold on my wrist. I looked down at my wrist and saw that there was a bandage forming magically on its own. This was weird… What was going on here? I ran towards the parking lot and found that my 2004 Ford Cobra was parked a few meters away from me. Didn't this car get trashed last time I saw it? I checked my pockets to find that my car keys were in my jeans pockets. Ok, this was officially weird. I got in my old car and started the engine. It felt weird to be in my old car again but I knew that this wasn't right. I looked around the parking lot and found Edward's white Mustang right beside me. At least he had the same car in this weird place. I got out of the parking lot and started to head down the street to Henry's house. If I couldn't get to Edward, then I could maybe go to my own father, even though he didn't like me all that much, but it was still a long shot.

It took me a few minutes to arrive to the house but it looked… abandoned. I parked the car in the driveway and stepped towards the house. Where was everybody? I unlocked the door and went inside to find my dad in the living room, looking at the game on the TV in his pajamas. What was he doing? Wasn't he supposed to be working right now? "Dad, what's going on?" I asked as I approached the living room. I looked around to find the place… different. There were pictures after pictures of Chanel and Henry together in different places. One of them was at the beach, the other at the fair and others in restaurants. There was one picture of me and it was very small. There were many of my brothers being together but why only one of me? Didn't he even have a family picture in this house? The walls were all black and the couch was black leather. Henry did a lot of redecorating…

"What are _you_ doing back here? I told you to never step in this house ever again! Not after what you did…" He said without even glancing at me. This wasn't right.

"I don't… understand. What's wrong? Everything's wrong around here." I started saying before he got up and I saw his face. It had a scar right on his left cheek. It looked like a bad scar. What was going on here?

"You ruined this family! And I can't even call it a family anymore since everyone's passed away!" He screamed at me. I could smell the liquor in his breath as he yelled at me.

"What…? Everyone's… dead?" I couldn't believe it! This wasn't happening to me. I knew that Jeremy and Justin had died but Chanel? I wasn't possible… She was always full of life. And she had just married Lou. This wasn't right.

"Oh, like you don't know! You just let them die right in front of you! Except for Justin. He died just a few months ago, trying to get to your talent show!" He explained, apparently infuriated at me… How did this happen? I just looked at him bewildered. "Oh, don't give me that look! I'm surprised you can still live with yourself!"

"What are you talking about?! I didn't kill them!" I screamed at him.

"Oh no?! You don't remember, do you?" He said with a sickening smile.

"What am I supposed to remember?! I didn't let them die! Mom's in Seattle and you're supposed to be at the police station!" He looked at me as if he wanted to hit me, although that would be his delight of the day. "What is so funny?!"

"You are seriously delirious. What? Spending too much time with that boyfriend of yours getting to your brain?"

"My boyfriend can't even remember me! How am I supposed to know what's oHogoing on here?" I asked him.

"Alright, I'll bring up the painful memories for you! About five years ago, my wife, my oldest son and… _you_… were walking from the movies when suddenly; some idiot decides to rob your mother! She tried to fight him off but he got his gun out and shot Jeremy! She tried calling for help before but he shot her afterwards and ran off. You just stood there crying your eyes out. I have never forgiven you for that one night! And then with Justin! You wanted us to go to that stupid talent show and when we were driving, someone drives out of control and slams into the car. Your brother died in that accident and I have this scar because of you!" He explained. No… this never happened. Tears started to flow on my cheeks uncontrollably but now, this was just a really bad nightmare!

"That… that…"

"Is that all you can say?! I'm sick and tired of this! Get out of my house!" He said as he pointed towards the door.

"But—"

"NOW! And never come back!" He screamed as I back away and towards the door. He opened the door and I ran outside. My dad was _not_ kicking me out of my own house!

As Henry slammed the door in front of me, the tears started to flow unwillingly.

"It's hard, isn't it?" A manly sickening voice said behind me. Gus was getting much too close for my liking.

"Get lost." I said as the tears became worse and worse every second.

"Having your father reject you like that, just because you saw your mother and brother get killed in front of you…" He said as he put his arm around my shoulder. I shrugged it off. I didn't want him to touch any part of me.

"Shut up…" I said as sobs erupted in my chest.

"Don't be like that, honey." He said as he stepped in front of me and looked me straight in the face.

"I said SHUT UP! Never call me honey, or sweetheart, or anything like that ever again or I'll really burn you!" I screamed as I went into my car and shut the door on him. "Take me back to my own world!" I said as I opened the window to my car, even though we were in the middle of November.

"And where would that be?" He asked sickeningly.

"Well, if you're not going to do it, I'll do it on my own!" I said as I closed the window and started to ride down the driveway. There was only one person that could help me and I knew that it was the Cullens. I rode down the streets as fast as I could to the Cullens household. A few minutes later, I was in the forest, entering their driveway and parking beside Alice's Mercedes. I got out of the car as fast as I could and ran to the front door. Their house was just unbelievable every time I came here. I knocked on the door a few times and seconds later, Esme opened the door for me.

"May I help you?" She asked in her musical voice.

"Um… yes Dr. Cullen, I'm Juliette Shrike, a friend of your children. May I talk to them?" I asked. I knew she didn't remember me too. She could probably hear the sadness in my voice but I didn't care. I needed to see Edward and the rest of them.

"Um… of course, come on in." She said as she made way for me to come in the house. It was still as clean as ever.

"So, how do you know my children?" She asked as I made my way towards the living room. That's where they were most of the time—well, especially in my world, if you could even call this a world. It looked more like a huge nightmare that I couldn't wake up from—and I knew I would find them in this house. If they weren't there, then they would be out hunting.

"Oh, from school, mostly." _And from the car accident, the dance, Vancouver and much more!_ I thought to myself. I knew that Edward couldn't read my thoughts so; I could think whatever I wanted. When I entered the living room, they were all sitting around, watching a Japanese game show with English subtitles. What was with them and Japanese game shows? "Edward…" I said as I looked at Edward. He looked at me for a moment and he turned away from me, looked more annoyed than normal.

"Oh no… What is _she_ doing here?" Edward asked Emmett. All Emmett could do was shrug. Alice must be thinking something to Edward because he looked more irritated than ever. "You got that right." His velvety voice said.

"Edward, we need to talk." I said as he got up and started to walk towards the bedrooms. He was going to get away from me so, I grabbed his stone cold arm and he stopped abruptly. "Edward, I know you don't remember me but I remember you! I know what you are and I try to understand you!" He seemed to be in pain. I started to see pictures in front of me, like old memories flooding into my mind. I could see the moment when Edward saved me from being crushed by the basketball net. Then, it changed to when we were at the hospital and it changed again to when we were in his car going to school. He took his arm away from me and the memories evaporated. He shook his head and I figured that he saw them too.

"How do you know that?" Jasper asked.

"Because, Edward told me when we were at the dance! This is all wrong! Edward, I know somewhere you remember me! I just have to wake that part up." I said as I tried to take his hand.

"I've heard enough of this! I'm out of here! I don't know you!" Edward said as he started to walk away from me again.

"You can't read my thoughts, can you?" I asked and he froze immediately. He knew I was right.

He turned around and my sea blue eyes met his golden eyes. "He How do you know that?" He asked incredulous.

"Because I'm your girlfriend, for crying out loud! I know more things about you than anybody else does! See, I can prove it. I know you guys are all vampires. Edward can read minds, Alice can see the future by what people decide, Jasper can control emotions, and Emmett can use his strength for many things! Alice and Jasper are a couple and so are Rose and Emmett! And Edward and I are getting engaged in about a year." I explained. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy or something. But I wasn't I was telling the truth.

"I think it's time that you leave, Juliette." Esme said as she led me towards the door. I can't believe that they didn't believe me… I knew that Edward felt something when I touched him so I was going to keep trying until he would remember me and I was back with Edward.

A few days passed and Edward tried to stay as far away from me as possible. I did my best to get close to the Cullens but it didn't work. On the ninth day of being stuck in a motel, I hadn't tried the one thing that always dazzled me and Edward, our lips meeting. As lunch approached, I kept thinking of how I would approach this situation. Option one; I could always start talking to him and ask him how he felt about me, like the first time we actually spent a whole day together at my brother's funeral. Or option two; I could just come up at him and give him a kiss like that and give as much passion into that kiss as possible and keep him still until all the memories would flood into his immortal brain. I thought about that and I knew that option two would be the best way to go. I went towards their table at lunch but Gus grabbed my arm hard and brought me into the hallway. Nobody was in the hallway at that moment and Gus was planning to stop me. He knew what would happen if Edward remembered me. He pushed me to the lockers on the arm and I heard a crunching noise. I knew that with all the strength he was putting in pushing me, I would have a broken arm. It hurt so much but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of screaming in pain.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Going to wake Edward up from this horrible nightmare." I said as I tried to be released from Gus's grip but it was hurting with every movement. "Now, move out of my way. I have a lighter and I'm not afraid to use it." I said as I went into my back pocket to reach for my lighter in my back pocket—after the incident in Vancouver, I didn't know what to expect these days—and attempted to hurt Gus. He let go of me and tried to block my way but I could see Mrs. Gluetenz coming into the hallway. She saw the dilemma and started to come our way but I needed to go to Edward right now.

I put my hand carefully on my broken arm and headed towards the cafeteria. I saw Edward immediately and I ran over to him, still cradling my arm carefully and stopped right in front of their table. He got up and looked steaming. I knew this wasn't my place but I needed him to come back to me. I knew this was selfish but I can't let this go on.

"Edward, I need you. Come back to me." I said as I cupped my hand on his cheek and leaned in to kiss him. As our lips met, I closed my eyes and the memories started to flood in. I could see the moment when Edward told me he loved me. Then, we saw the moment when I had an enormous fever and was stuck in the hospital with Edward. I saw the moment when he first kissed me on the lips. Then, the moment came when Edward came to rescue me when I went missing. Suddenly, I could see myself in Vancouver with Gus as Edward tried to bite me. Then, I could see when Edward told me that he wanted to have me forever in the hospital. The last moment that I saw was when Edward proposed to me and we kissed. Then, Edward separated from my kiss and looked at me with loving eyes. It worked! He remembered me!

"Jules…"

"Edward…" I said before he kissed me again and put his hand on my arms but I didn't show any sign of pain when he put his hand on my broken arm.

"I never want to be apart from you, Juliette Shrike." He said between kisses.

"NO!" I heard Gus scream in the background before the scenery around me started to blacken and all that was left was me and Edward, kissing.

When I woke up, I was in a comfortable bed, surrounded by the sun. Where was I? I looked around and found my one true love.

"Welcome back, my love." Edward's beautiful voice said as he showed that dazzling smile that I loved so much. He leaned in to kiss me and I knew only one thing. I was back.

**So, here you go, what did you think? REVIEW!!! REVIEW!!! REVVVVIIIIIEEEEWWWW!!!!**

**Bellacullenswan17**

9


	14. Awake

**READ + REVIEW!!! READ + REVIEW!!! READ + REVIEW!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!!**

Chapter 14

Awake

As I kissed my love, I knew I had finally returned to him. But there was something… different. I could see Edward sparkle. YES! He was finally in the sun. But… that meant that his conscience would make him change his attitude. Oh no! I had to get him away.

"Edward, you need to get out of the sun!" I said as I tried to push him away but he wouldn't budge.

"What do you mean?" Edward asked in his velvety voice. I could tell—by the sound of his voice—that he was relieved that I was back. But what exactly happened to me?

"Frederic told me that when a vampire is in the sun, his conscience makes him change." He smiled that dazzling smile of his at me when I was done.

"Don't worry love; that only happens to some vampires, not all of us. Take me for instance. I don't have any changes when I'm in the sun. My skin changes, that's all. I haven't had symptoms so far." He said as he cupped his hand on my cheek. His cold skin felt good again to be on my skin. I missed it so much.

"Well, let's not jinx it." I said as I got up with both my arms but suddenly, I felt a pain shot up my left arm. Why was it hurting? I held it with my hand and Edward went out of the room in a second and came back with a white long cloth in a few seconds.

"Here. Let me put this on for you. It will help until Carlisle gets a look at it." He said as he put the sling around my shoulder and under my arm so that it would be supported by the sling. But… what if this was only an act? What if this was the Edward like in my "nightmare"?

"Edward, can I ask you a question?" I asked as I looked down at my hand.

"Anything, love." His angelic voice said.

"Who am I?" I knew who I was but… I just wanted to know if Edward knew.

"What do you mean? What are you asking?" His angelic voice asked. He seemed confused.

"Just answer the question. Who am I?" I asked as I looked into his golden eyes.

"You are the woman who brought the stars back to my world. You're the one who made my un-beating heart love again. You are the apple of my eye. You, Juliette Elizabeth Strike, are the woman I fell in love with. I will never let anything happen to you." He said as he cupped his hand on my cheek again and flashed me that dazzling smile of his. I smiled at his answer. That's exactly what I wanted to hear! Maybe not as mushy, but it was the best answer I had gotten in… well, I guess in days. I didn't know if I had been gone for nine days or it was just a bad dream.

"Just what I wanted to hear…" I said as I took his shirt firmly and brought him into a kiss with all my strength. Kissing him was like being in heaven. I missed those kisses so much. I put so much passion into our kisses that I couldn't help smiling. "Oh, how I've missed these…" I said as we separated, our eyes closed.

"Ugh! Get a room!" A pixie like voice said from behind us.

I looked beside Edward to find the rest of the Cullens in the hallway, coming towards this gigantic room. They seemed extremely to see me awake. "I'm glad to see your eyes open, Jules." Esme said as they all came in the room.

"How long have they been closed?"

"You've been in a coma for more than nine days." Carlisle said as Edward sat next to me in the king size bed.

"In a… coma? But how?" I asked. I couldn't believe that I was in a coma… But, how did I get into one? And wasn't a coma supposed to only happen when you hit your head or something?

"Maybe I could answer that." A British voice said behind the Cullens.

"Frederic!" I almost screamed the name. I knew I wasn't going crazy in that coma of mine.

"When one of the Storks attacked you, he used his sword to bring your subconscious into a deep sleep. You fell right to the ground and I brought you here. The Cullens were already here when I brought you and Carlisle has tried to take you out of your coma but everything was not working." Frederic explained. Suddenly, I could hear someone snarling around me. I looked around and saw that Edward was glaring at Frederic and… snarling at him too. This wasn't like him.

"Edward, what's wrong?" I asked as I took his hand in mine. I realized that it was trembling. He was really mad, although his shine had disappeared since the sun started to fade. Was it really getting that late?

"I don't want him near you…" He whispered to me, anger showing in his voice. I knew everyone could hear him but it was still shocking to hear him like this.

"Edward, it's alright. Frederic's not going to harm me. I trust him with my life, like I trust you." I said as I put my available hand on his shoulder. He turned towards me and looked at me with loving eyes. "He's been protecting me for a long time. I trust him."

"Alright, if you say so." He said as he gave me a kiss on the cheek. I looked at my left hand and my wedding ring was shining with the setting sun.

"By the way Carlisle, Evarak wants to speak to the both of us. It seems important. Kynark is with him." When Frederic said the name Kynark, it sounded more like Keenark than anything else. There sure were a lot of weird names in this city…

"Oh, that is bad… Alright, I'll be back soon. Esme can probably check on your arm while I'm talking with Evarak." Carlisle said as he started to leave. As he left, Esme started to approach me with her medicine bag and looked carefully at my broken arm.

"How did this happen anyways?" I asked as she started to bandage up my arm with a bracer.

"Your arm appears to be badly broken so, this is all that I can put on it until we get back home. I only brought the essentials with me. Good thing your arm is only broken above the elbow. Although, I don't know what caused it…" She explained as she finished bracing my arm and took the sling off.

"Well, things were officially weird while I was in my coma…" I said as I looked down at my hands.

"What do you mean?" Edward said as he looked at me with understanding eyes.

"Well, you wouldn't believe me even if I told you…" I said as I looked to every one of the Cullens—well, the ones that were left. Esme went back to being beside Emmett and looked at me confused.

"Try us." Jasper said with a smile.

"Alright… but you'll probably think that I'm crazy." I warned them.

"We won't judge you." Rose said.

"Ok… Well, it all started when I woke up in… Gus's room." Edward snarled—and I could hear Alice and Rosalie snarling—at the name. Even I couldn't stand the thought. "Well, he was being all nice and calling me "honey" or "sweetheart" but apparently, we were dating."

"Nice choice of men…" Emmett said with an angry voice as he looked away from us.

"Hey! I thought you said no judging! I never wanted this, you know?!" I said, trying to defend myself.

"Alright, alright. Keep going." Alice said with a wave sign.

"Well, as I was saying!" I continued as I glared at Emmett. He laughed playfully at my glare. "I threatened him that I would burn his hand off if he touched me and I tried to get to you at school. Surprising because we were back in November. But… it just got scarier. And, the thing that scared me the most is that, when I tried to talk to you… all of you didn't remember me." I said but suddenly, Edward put his arms around me carefully because of my arm and started to cradle me.

"That will never happen. I promise." He said soothingly.

"Thanks. Well, Gus kept trying to get at me but what was different is that, he was like the king of the school. Every girl was at him. Sam was all popular and called me a loser as I tried to ask her what was going on. Everything had changed. I tried to get closer to you and every time I touched you, you would remember a part of our past. I tried to keep that up but you would just walk away from me with the rest of you." I explained as I looked towards everyone in the room. "On the ninth day, I knew there was only one thing that would wake you up and a kiss would work." Edward smiled at the idea. "Although, Gus tried to stop me and broke my arm. I'm surprised that I felt the pain here. He would always hurt me when I tried to get close to you or to show him off. I got him away from me and ran to you and gave you a kiss. We started to remember all the things that happened in these last months and you finally remembered me. That's when I woke up." I finished as I turned my head to look at Edward's face. He seemed happy as to how my nightmare ended.

"I will make sure that he never hurts you again." Edward said as he brought me in a cold embrace. I missed his skin on mine so much that I never wanted to be separated from him but, it had to end sometime.

"Well, I must be off. I'm going to check on Carlisle. Evarak must be torturing the poor vampire." She said with a smile as she started to leave.

"Come on you guys; let's leave our little lovebirds alone." Alice said with her arm around Jasper's waist as she dragged all the other Cullens out of the room to leave Edward and me alone. I whispered thanks to Alice and she smiled back at me. Now, I could be alone with Edward as much as I wanted, for a while. I hoped that the Elves could "cure" me. I kissed him for a while and we started to catch up on things that I missed these past few weeks. I was glad I was back in my Edward's arms.

**So, if you haven't given up on me for writing these chapters so many months ago, please REVIEW to tell me what you think!!!**

**Bellacullenswan17**

6


	15. Pressure

**Alright, again with the routine!!! READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 15

Pressure

As the minutes passed, Edward and I kept staring at each other for what seemed like forever, enjoying the moment that we were back together. Suddenly, I remembered that Carlisle and Frederic went to talk with this "Evarak". Who exactly was he? Edward was going to try to break the silence by a kiss but I tried to push his chest. He stopped and looked at me confusingly. "What's wrong, love?" He asked with his velvety voice. Man, he always dazzled me.

"It's been a while since Carlisle left. I wondered what's wrong." I said as I looked towards the hallway in front of us.

"Evarak usually takes his time with his favorite guests." He explained.

"Favorites?"

"Well, we come to visit him the most."

"But who exactly is this Evarak? Everybody keeps mentioning him. Why is he so important? And who is Kynark?" All the questions that I held together just burst out of me.

"Evarak is the King of the Elf City. He tells everyone what goes and passes the rules. Kynark is Evarak's herald. Evarak mostly roams the city alone but when Kynark's with him, it never means anything good." Edward explained. Well, my questions just got answered.

"Well, no wonder Carlisle was kind of worried." I said as I looked away from him. He took my chin and looked into his golden eyes.

"Would you like to go see them?" He asked soothingly.

"Are we allowed?"

"Of course. We can stand there and ask about their conversation later." He said as he took my right hand and brought me out of the bed. I followed him into the hallway. This place was so beautiful… The hallway was filled with paintings of ancestors—probably old kings—and plenty of candles. The sun was setting down and the candles were lit to enlighten the place. It was bright with white walls and decors with plants on stands. But the hallway was extremely long.

As we entered the throne room, I could see Frederic and Carlisle arguing with a tall man with long light blond hair. He looked about Carlisle's age. His hair was almost as white as the walls. Standing next to the blond man stood a brusque man with short brown hair. He looked like Emmett with his big muscles and swords on both sides. Although, he wasn't in the argument. We entered a room that was gigantic! And round… It looked exactly like a throne room should be. A huge seat in the background with two candles on each side, red carpet that led to the throne, men at every entrance. It was exactly how I would picture a throne room!

"I will not help that human! Humans have brought nothing but sorrow to this city." The tall blond man said as we entered the room. When Carlisle heard our footsteps, all three men turned around and looked at us. The tall blond haired man stared straight at me with… silver eyes! They were shining in the setting sun like two silver coins. They were incredible… and irresistible to look at.

"Jules, I didn't see you coming." Frederic said, his British accent ringing through the room.

"Please sir, I will do anything you want if you can get rid of the black magic inside me." I said as I tried to curtsy for the tall blond man.

"Please Evarak. She means everything to my son. And she's getting worse." Carlisle said. Oh, so _he_ was Evarak. And I'm guessing the tall buffed man was Kynark… "And since Jules is such a danger magnet—"

"Hey!" I responded defensively.

"I'm sorry Jules, but it is true. Since trouble seems to find you every time, you need to be healed." Carlisle explained.

"Why can't Frederic do it? He's a shaman after all." Evarak asked impatiently. Man, this Elf seriously doesn't like humans… It would take a lot for me to change his mind.

"This magic is beyond my capabilities. I cannot heal something as big as black magic like this one." Frederic said. Suddenly, I started to feel as if my heart was racing at an amazing speed. It hurt a little but I didn't show it. The pain kept growing and I could feel my heart being crushed by an invisible pressure. I tried not to show my pain as Frederic, Carlisle and Evarak continued to argue about me.

Edward took his hand off of my waist and looked at me worried. "Jules, are you ok?" He asked, his voice coming as anxious. I think he could hear my heartbeat. This wasn't normal… then again, nothing these days was normal.

I put my right hand to my heart as it started to contract even more. It was hurting so much I couldn't help showing the pain in my face. I opened my mouth wide—since my voice wasn't working—and went to my knees. Edward followed me to the floor and tried to soothe me.

"Jules, what's wrong?! Jules, say something!" He kept saying. This wasn't right. The pain was intense and I had to gasp out in pain. My head went to the floor and I turned to my side, face to face with Edward. My eyes closed immediately with the pain and my heart was being crushed even more every second. "Carlisle!" I heard Edward say and felt two pairs of cold hands on my chest. My heart was crushing and I could do nothing about it. I squeezed my hand to my heart and gasped out in pain.

"Jules, you have to tell me where it hurts!" Carlisle said in a hurry.

"I feel… like my heart… is being crushed!" I screamed out. It hurt so much that I couldn't hold back the pain. I was trying to keep strong but my strength was evaporating as the crushing pressure continued. I knew my own limits and my heart couldn't take anymore of this. Suddenly, I felt myself being pushed on my back and something pushed against my chest and I could feel the pain disappearing. What was happening?

"There. The pain shouldn't come back. I also helped her arm. It should be as good as new." I could hear a wise voice say. I knew Carlisle's voice and that wasn't his. And it wasn't Edward's or Frederic's. Could it be Evarak?

"Evarak, what was that?" That was Carlisle's voice. The pain was disappearing quickly and the pressure on my heart stopped.

"It's a pain evaporator spell. It can diminish any kind of pain possible. Although, this is one that I've never seen before. I don't know what could have caused it but she seems drained." He said as I started to relax my grip on my chest. I didn't have any strength remaining but I could at least open my eyes. My vision was blurry but I could see above me. Edward's face was contorted with pain and Carlisle's was a mirror. It reflected Edward's pain of seeing me like this. Frederic was beside Carlisle, checking any other pain that could be developing and Evarak was moving his fingers at such an amazing speed with a yellow glow that it was just like Frederic in the cave. Was he using the same kind of technique?

"Will she be alright?" I heard Edward ask as he put his hand on my burning—and sweaty—cheek. "She looks deathly pale."

"It's a common sign. There must have been a certain pressure that was sapping her strength. I've never seen anything like this in my life." My hearing was starting to worsen but it was normal when you were close to going into unconsciousness. "You'd better put her to bed rest for a while. She won't have the strength to do anything right now."

"Will you help her?" Frederic asked. I felt cold arms lifting me up in a cold embrace and lips on my forehead. I knew I was in Edward's arms. Even though my senses were almost shut, I could still smell his scent.

"I'll consult with the others at our next meeting in a few days. She'll have to attend the meeting though, to show the Elves what this is doing to her. I'll give you my answer then." Evarak said.

I was glad that Evarak was at least giving me a chance. Edward kissed my forehead and started walking. I didn't have enough strength to keep my eyes open so, I closed them and let Edward lead me to the bed I was just in for nine days. He gently placed me under the covers and kissed my forehead one last time. "Sleep my love. Get your strength back. I love you." He whispered. I could feel him leaving and I was completely against that. I tried to find my voice and when I did, it wasn't for long.

"Stay…" I whispered. I knew he could hear me.

"Forever and always." He said as he sat beside me on the bed and put his arm around me. His cold embrace felt good but he put a blanket under his arm so that I wouldn't get too cold. That was all I could hear and feel before the darkness took over me. At least this time, I slipped into darkness with Edward at my side.

When I woke up, Edward was still beside me but this time, Alice was in the room. What a party pooper… "Hello love." My angel said as he put his cold hand on my face.

"It's good to see you awake, Jules." Alice said with her pixie like voice. Man, with her voice, you could spot her easily in a crowd.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"A full day." Alice explained.

"You needed your strength back and we didn't want to disturb you while you were asleep. You look even more adorable when you sleep." Edward said with his adorable smile. I tried to sit up and Edward helped me. He was always there when I needed him the most.

"I'll take that as a compliment." I said with a smile. I looked at him into more dept and saw that his eyes were becoming darker. "You need to hunt." I pointed out.

"I still have time."

"Why do it later when you could do it now? I can look out for myself." I asked. He knew I was making a point but he wanted to stay with me.

"But—" I stopped his protesting with a kiss. He returned the kiss and a few seconds later, I willingly stepped away from our kiss. He seemed disappointed and frankly, so was I.

"There'll be plenty more when you come back from hunting. Now go." I said as I tried to push him off the bed playfully. Although I still didn't have enough strength in my arms, he willingly went off the bed.

"And besides, I'll be with her. What's the worse that could happen?" Alice asked with a smirk to her voice. _A lot of things…_ I thought mentally. This wasn't going to end well.

"I don't trust you Alice, but I trust Jules." He said sarcastically. He kissed me once and started leaving the room. "I'll be back soon love." He said as he ran at an amazing speed out of the castle—I presumed it was a castle. Alice casted me a sickening look and I started to get scared. What was she planning?

"Um… Alice?" I asked, a tone of worry plainly showing in my voice.

"We need to get the perfect ensemble for when Edward arrives! Let's raid my closet for the best thing!" She said excitingly.

She got up in a rush and dragged me out of bed. She was walking at a very quick pace that I had to run just to keep my arm attached to my shoulder. As we arrived in a room somehow identical to mine, with no windows—only an open space that she could run out of in to go hunting—a beautiful tapestry, no bed, and many plants in the corners. And of course, an enormous closet and mirror, probably made especially for Alice. "Alright! Let's get to work!" She said as she started to drag me towards the closet. She let go of my arm and opened the closet. Oh. My. GOD! This closet was incredible! And a walk-in closet to boot… She walked into it and I followed her hesitantly. She started to throw clothes towards me and I caught them as she threw them. As many minutes passed by, she kept throwing and throwing clothes at me and suddenly, a huge pile of clothes—that weighed more than I could handle, especially for the little strength I had at the moment—and I was about to fall backwards when Emmett and Rose stepped through the hallway. They stopped to look in my direction just as I was about to fall back. It was too bad that there wasn't a bed behind me but clothes were lying everywhere on the floor. Maybe I would fall onto them.

I heard Emmett's booming voice sound in the hallway and I turned my head. He was apparently laughing his butt off. I whispered help to him but he just shook his head. "No, I like this scene better! I think this deserves a photograph!" He said as he took out his cell phone and took a picture of me with the tones of clothes in my arms. Suddenly, I fell backwards and I landed on the pile of clothes—thank god I didn't hit the floor. I could hear Emmett's booming laughter once more and I heard Rose gasp as the clothes were standing on top of me.

"Alice!" I heard Rose say.

"What? It's not my fault I had to look all over my closet just to find the dress in the back!" She said as I tried to get my right hand free from the pile of clothes to the top. As I got through, I tried to wave it around.

"Help?" I asked through the muffle of the clothes in my mouth.

"Jules!" I heard an angelic voice sound in the room. Was Edward back already? I could feel someone pulling my hand up and I was free from the pile of clothes. "Are you alright?" I looked right into his golden eyes. Yep, he definitely went hunting.

"Yeah, right after I try to kill Emmett! And afterwards Alice!" I said with an angry voice. I looked towards Emmett and he was still taking pictures with his cell phone.

"Yeah, sure! I'd like to see you try!" Emmett said with his childlike voice.

"If I can't kill you, I'll ask Esme to do it for me! Or even your girlfriend, if she's on my side." I looked towards Rose. She seemed to be agreeing with me.

"Oh, I'll help you out." She said as she looked badly towards her boyfriend.

"Oh, I think I hear someone calling me. Bye!" Emmett said as he ran at vampire speed out of the hallway. We all laughed and Edward put his arm around me.

"Edward, you have to leave." Alice said as she tried to hide something behind her back. Obviously, the dress.

"Why?"

"Oh, just leave for five minutes!" Alice said as she pushed Edward out of the room as Rose came in and Alice closed the door behind him. "Alright, we've got some work to do!" She said as they both attacked me with makeup and a hair straightener. After a few minutes of doing my hair and makeup, Alice helped me in the blue dress that ruffled at the bottom. It was so beautiful! It had blue spaghetti straps with a V shaped bustline. It ruffled three times at the bottom and it came to my knees. "Well, this looks just right!"

"Why a blue dress though? Not that I'm complaining. This dress is just beautiful."

"Because it's Edward's favorite color." Rose pointed out.

"And it works wonders with your eyes." Alice said as she put me in front of a mirror. I looked like a different person! I had long straight hair that came to my chest with the beautiful royal blue dress. "You'll look beautiful for tonight!"

"What's tonight?" I asked as I turned around to face the both of them.

"We're going out to explore the city!" Rose said happily.

"And to have a little entertainment…" Alice said as she winked at me. Oh no… This was going to be a _long_ night.

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**Bellacullenswan17**

9


	16. Tasks at hand

**Routine everyone!! READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 16

Tasks at hand

As I went outside the room, Edward was waiting for me with impatient eyes. But once I came out, he looked lovingly at me. He looked me up and down with that dazzling smile that I love so much and seemed happy.

"So… what do you think?" I asked as I twirled around to show off the beautiful dress. He seemed impressed.

"You look dazzling." He said as he came towards me and put his hands on my hips. I had just noticed that he was wearing a beautiful light black shirt with blue jeans. He didn't look formal whatsoever but he was still dazzling me just the same.

"You should talk." I said as he put his arm around my waist and the rest of his family arrived. Emmett was wearing a white shirt that showed his muscles more than usual with blue jeans. Esme was wearing a light sundress with golden sandals as Carlisle came in with a blue shirt and black jeans. Jasper was wearing a simple gray shirt with blue jeans and Alice came out of the room with Rosalie by her side. Alice was wearing a white vest on top of a white and gray shirt with white pants. As for Rose, she was wearing a simple white blouse and blue jeans. "Wait a second, why is everyone dressed in shirts and jeans and I'm the only one dressed like this?" I turned to Alice, who seemed to be chuckling softly behind me.

"It was more fun." She said with a beautiful smile as she passed beside me so Jasper could put his arms around his wife's tiny waist. Rose passed beside me to stand next to her boyfriend. "And besides, you needed a good makeover." Alice commented. I looked at her with an evil look but she just laughed. Why did I have to have friends like Alice?

"Why are you giving her that look, Jules? You look incredible!" Esme said with a smile. She did have a point though…

"Alright, alright… Let's just go. I'm starving." I never even realized that it was already passed seven o'clock and my stomach was screaming like crazy. The sun was setting

"Sorry, forgot that humans needed to eat." Emmett said as we started to leave the hallway.

"And you've known me for _how_ long exactly?" I teased as we passed down the long hallway and headed towards the door. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed my little remark but I wasn't laughing as much.

"Well, how many times have you eaten at the house exactly? Not many times when I was there!" Emmett replied. I think he might be taking this a little too seriously.

"Chill Emmett, it was only a joke." I said with a smile as we exited the castle, or mansion. I couldn't tell until we were a few feet away from here.

As we walked smoothly along the streets of the Elf City, all I could do was stare. This city was incredible! As I looked behind me, my question was answered. I had been staying in an extremely large and wonderful castle that belonged to Evarak and probably his ancestors. I looked at its marvelous details but there were so many. The towers were almost reaching the sky with its marvelous points. You could almost tell that this castle was exactly like in those Harry Potter movies but it seemed more… magical than in those high rated fantasy movies. "Beautiful, isn't it?" I didn't even realize that I had stopped until Carlisle came beside me and looked at the monument in front of us. "Evarak's lived in that castle for over a century now and he still can't believe he's ruling in a city with such… determination behind it." He explained in his silky voice.

"What do you mean?"

"Elves are, in a way, like us. They live on for decades but only one thing keeps them going… their kings. Evarak is determined to keep this city's strength alive with his rules and perseverance. Their hearts beat with blood and determination. Every Elf is unique. I don't know if this is making any sense but somehow, I think the message is quite clear, whether you think of it or not." Carlisle explained as he started to look at me. I had no clue what he was talking about but I figured that I'd learn it someday. The one piece of information that I could gather from his speech was the fact that Elves are somewhat immortal. They live for decades but what happens after? Do they simply die? I guess I'd figure that out too sooner or later.

"Come on you two! Get a move on or we'll leave without you!" Emmett's booming voice said as we turned around to find the rest of the Cullens a few feet away from us.

"I guess we had better get a move on." Carlisle said as he put his hand in between my shoulder blades and started to lead me towards the others. What Carlisle said was still racking out my brain but I would think about what it meant later. Now, I wanted to enjoy the moments that I was granted with Edward and his family.

As we walked away from the castle, we arrived in the streets of the Elf City. The place was swarming with people and dancers. I guess Elves were really into music. There was a crowd around a giant fountain and they seemed to be laughing and cheering for something. "I wonder what's going on…" I said as we approached the crowd. We went through the crowd to find some Elves close to a stereo. Some of them started to go into a break-dance routine and some were doing the beat behind the music. I didn't know Elves could make moves like that.

"Impressive, huh?" Emmett said beside me.

"I never thought that Elves were this much into the art culture." I said. I knew what I said was lame but at least I said something.

"Elves are very fond of music and dancing. No one ever wants to do battle with them because Elves are fierce when it comes to music." Esme said.

"And they're not very fond of humans either." Emmett put in.

"Yeah, kinda knew that." I replied.

"Let's get going. Our reservations are soon!" Alice said as she started to leave with Jasper by her side. The other couples started to follow but I cast one last glance at the Elves performing before leaving with the others as Edward put his arm around me.

A few minutes later, we arrived in front of a restaurant called _Dancer's corner_. Seemed like a big tourist attraction since people kept coming and going from it. You could hear the music pumping from inside the restaurant. What exactly was this restaurant?

"I hope you'll like it." Edward said as he led me towards the door of the restaurant. When we entered the restaurant, it was the liveliest thing I've seen in days! Maybe even weeks. Elves were dancing the Salsa, the Mambo, break-dancing and there was also some singing on stage while others ate. They seemed to be eating normal food, just like human food. I started listening to the song the Elf was singing and it seemed very… familiar. It was Jesse McCartney's _She's No You_!

"I thought Elves hated humans…" I knew what I said sounded, again, stupid but I couldn't understand why these people were singing human songs.

"They do but they love their songs." Emmett explained.

"What are you doing?" Alice asked, looking at me with a confused expression.

I followed Alice's glaze and then realized what she meant. My one hand was moving in an up and down motion, fingers occasionally curling in slightly towards my palm, as the other pretended to strum invisible notes in tune with the song. I stopped abruptly and looked embarrassed. "Sorry. I just know the acoustics to this song." I explained. I can't believe I was doing that in public, and in here of all places!

"Let's grab our seat." Carlisle said as he pointed to a fairly large table. I turned to look towards the singer on stage and he didn't look pleased. He probably saw my lame air guitar… Edward pulled my chair away like a precious gentleman so I could sit and when I did, the song was done almost simultaneously.

"What's good around here?" I asked as I started looking at the menu. They had a section for every creature you could think about! Werewolves, vampires, Elves, shape shifters. But there was nothing for humans. This was disappointing…

"If you're wondering what to eat, Elves' food is exactly like human food." Edward explained as he put his cold hand on mine.

"Is it just me, or do Elves copy from humans more than they'd like to admit?" I asked as I placed the menu down on the table. Suddenly, I could feel footsteps coming behind me and it didn't mean good news.

"What is a _human_ doing in here Gahal?" A voice said behind me. I turned around to find two men standing in front of us. One was tall with short silver hair and silver eyes, just like Evarak. He wore break-dancing clothes while wearing an army hat. The one on his left had medium length black hair with bronze eyes and wore the same type of clothing the silver haired Elf was wearing, except it was army clothes instead of break-dancing clothes.

"She's not supposed to be in here. Who let her in?" The silver haired man asked. I recognized him now. He was the one performing earlier on stage. I had to admit, he was quite good but I've heard better than him.

"I think Heral let her in." The black haired man said as he looked towards the entrance of the restaurant. I had never noticed before but there was an Elf there with a black tux and short brown hair. He looked like the bouncer.

"Look, if it's that much of a trouble, I can just leave." I started to get out of my chair but Edward held my wrist. I looked at him and he shook his head.

"We're not leaving." Edward said as he got up and put his arm around my waist.

"Edward..." I tried to say but the silver-haired Elf started talking.

"I've heard of you." He said as he pointed towards all the Cullens. He seemed to be deep in thought.

"Gahal, you know these vampires?" The black-haired man said.

"Shut it Leryk! I told you! I don't _know_ them but I've _heard _of them. They're those Cullens." Gahal said with a certain attitude. I didn't like it.

"Now wait a minute! I—"

"Who told you that you could talk, human?" Leryk said. That got to me.

"Look here_ bud_, I don't know what humans did that was so bad, but not everyone is like that!" I exclaimed.

"Oh yeah?! Says who?!" Leryk asked with an edge to his voice.

"Says me! Look, whatever it takes to prove to you that humans are just as equal as Elves are, then I'll do it." I exclaimed again.

They both looked at each other for a few seconds but suddenly, Gahal said: "Alright, but we're going to do it my way. Can this human sing?" He was now looking at Edward, like I didn't exist.

"Um… I have a name, you know!"

"Well human, can you sing?" Gahal asked impatiently.

"Yes."

"Well then, get up there and check out the playlist. Pick something out and let's see if you've got what it takes to beat me." Gahal said as he crossed his arms and a sinister grin on his face. He was really started to get on my nerves.

"Singing? That's what you think will show anybody anything? Well then, bring. It. On." I said as I was getting closer to him. Then, I approached the stage and the other Elves in the restaurant were talking to each other as I passed. Someone on stage—I was guessing it was the DJ—passed me a digital clipboard that looked like a huge iPod Touch, but much bigger. There were a few songs to pick from, such as _Untouched _by The Veronicas, _Fly on the Wall _by Miley Cyrus but there was one that caught my eye… _Give me the Music_ by Eva Avila. "Perfect…" I said to myself as I told the DJ the song I wanted to perform and he gave me a mic.

He didn't seem too happy to have a human performing on his stage…

As the lights streamed its way on the stage, I tried to find the Cullens. It took a few seconds but my eyes focused on them. They looked anxious but Edward looked… confident. He probably thought that I was able to do this. But the truth is… I wasn't confident in myself right now. Everything right now was relying on my shoulders. If I didn't impress these Elves, then that meant that I was probably banned from this place and rejected from Elves pretty much everywhere. Great… Edward winked at me along with his dazzling smile and that was all the help I needed to calm down.

The music started playing and I started singing shakily. I looked over at the Cullens but they seemed to be wondering what was wrong with me. I wasn't performing like I normally do but then again; I needed to make a good impression. I loosened up a little and brought out my real wild child singer side. I sang and waved my body a little with arm movements and surprisingly, the people in the restaurant started to dance in their seats. As the song progressed, I could see that Gahal was getting a little mad.

Close to the end of the song, the instruments stopped playing and the only thing that kept the song going was the singing. I had to drag the crowd in and the only thing that I could think of was clapping to make it sound like drums.

Once I started, the crowd followed easily. Apparently, they were enticed in the song. The Cullens were smiling and clapping with me until I stopped it to end the song. I kept looking towards my family and they were happy. I finished the song with a twist of the hips and I put my arms down. Everyone clapped in the room and I went down the stage to join my family. Edward gave me a hug and a kiss on the forehead and congratulated me, and so did everyone else.

"Thanks…" I said as I sat back down.

"You seemed nervous at first." Rosalie said.

"Well, I kinda have a lot on my shoulders here." I said with a smile as I took a sip of water.

"Well, I guess the human has some talent after all." I could tell who _that_ was. Gahal… I got out of my chair and faced him. He didn't seem too happy at the moment. Leryk was behind him with the same expression planted on his face.

"Well, I did what you wanted. Now, am I allowed to stay?" He was smirking now.

"Oh, the fun's only started. You have two more parts to accomplish to determine if you're worthy of staying here." Oh great… What next?

"Alright, what do you want me to do?" I asked desperately. I wanted this to be over so badly, it wasn't even funny.

"She doesn't have to do anything for you!" Alice said as she abruptly got out of her chair. "Come on guys; let's just get out of here."

"She's already started! Now, there's no backing out now…" Gahal said with a smirk. "Now, let's see what you can do with an instrument." He said as he pushed an electric guitar on me. "Now, your next task is to play a song for one minute and Leryk will be the judge."

"But that's not fair! He's just going to vote for you anyways!" I said. I knew what he was planning and if I could stop it, there would be justice among this game.

"Actually, if you did your research on Elves _human_, you would know that Elves can't cheat in duels of this kind." Gahal said as he went towards the stage and I followed him. I cast a quick glance at the Cullens and they seemed worried.

As we went onto the stage, I started to get even more nervous. I couldn't leave until this game was done and who knows how long this duel would take… "I'll start." Gahal said as he got his guitar pick and started to play. He was playing _Raining Blood by Slayer_. It was a hard song to play on the guitar but it was done by… him. He played it perfectly for a solid one minute and he finished with a big applaud from the crowd. He seemed like a show-off as he put his arms in the air and started to gather more applause. "See? I am the true master of the music! Not even a weak human like this one can beat any Elf." Now_ that_ got to me. No one could say that about me!

There was only one song that could truly beat this stuck-up snob of an Elf but it was risky. I had only successfully played more than a quarter of this song twice but it wasn't good enough. I was risking a lot if I missed a note here.

As I started the song, it went well so far… I knew more than a minute of the song but it was already complicated enough as it was that I didn't want to miss a single note! The crowd started to face the stage and was dumbfounded. Well, that was to be expected… I don't think they ever saw someone play _this_ song before. When I finished, I could see that my left hand was starting to ache. "DON'T… call me weak." I said as I went down the stage and handed the guitar to Gahal with pressure that he took a step back.

The Cullens looked at me with complete astonishment as I placed my glass of water onto my aching fingers. It felt good.

"How did you…" Rosalie started saying before I could hear footsteps approaching rapidly.

"That's impossible!" I heard Gahal say as I took a sip of water before putting it back down on the floor. My hunger had started to grow but water would diminish it slightly.

"What is?" I asked as I turned around to face him as he approached me angrily. "That I just played a song that's impossible to play with only _one_ guitar?" My tone was snobby and somehow, it didn't affect me.

"No one can play _Through the Fire and the Flames_! It's one of the most challenging songs ever made!" Leryk said.

"Not helping! Just tell us who won." Gahal said as he looked at him with daggers in his eyes. He was fuming.

"The human." It didn't even take him a second to think about that. He obviously knows who won this part of the challenge.

"My _name_ is Jules, if you don't mind!" I snapped. I was in no mood to do anything and I hadn't even eaten anything yet. I would probably eat afterwards. They wouldn't give me a minute to eat. This guy was so determined to win that I wanted this over with.

"Alright, _Jules_ is the winner."

"Whatever… Your last task is to show your moves on the dance floor, break-dancing style." Somehow, these tasks were really fun and appropriate. As I looked at my family, their faces explained it all. Worry and frustration. A snarling sound was heard through the now-pounding music. I looked at every member of the Cullens and Edward was the one who snarled. He looked right into Gahal's eyes and didn't seem content.

"Edward, it's alright. It'll be over soon. One last thing and we can _all _leave." I said as I cupped his cheek with my left hand and kissed him on his cheek. Although I had to reach on my toes to kiss his cheek, it was worth touching his cold marble skin.

"But you are NOT dancing in that dress!" Alice interjected sharply.

"Don't worry your pretty little head, pixie. She can change in the back. There are some clothes already laid out for her size." Gahal said.

"What'd you call me?!" Alice asked sharply.

"My _size_?!" Ok, this guy was _way_ over the line here. Apparently, he didn't know much about women.

Jasper held Alice around the waist so she wouldn't rip this snob's head off as Edward petted my arms, followed by his soothing words. As my frustration died, a woman brought me towards the changing room and led me towards the large room. It was probably used for the Elves that wanted to get out of their expensive dresses and mini skirts.

The changing room was as large as a classroom. There were many hangers and benches covered most of the walls. A small bathroom could be seen at the end of the room and most of the walls were covered with mirrors. I guess Elves liked looking at themselves a lot. I turned my head to find a set of clothes on a hanger. As I approached them, I could see more of the details. The pants were a little baggy around the bottom, just like elephant pants, with the look of an army soldier. The shirt was a sleeveless navy blue shirt decorated like the marines. Black Nike shoes stood under the set with a brown hat that could fit sideways. Well, I have to admit, these Elves have good taste in break-dancing clothes. It's a good thing I took lessons for this…

When I got changed, I gently placed the wonderful blue dress on the hanger and looked myself in the mirror. These clothes were… perfect. Nothing else could show that I mean business! I sighed and walked out of the changing room at a fast pace. I wanted this over with so I could eat! I was starving.

"You should eat something before you go." Edward insisted.

"Edward, it won't take long. This'll be over before you know it…" I made my way towards the crowd and saw a large dance floor that opened in front of the crowd. Gahal had changed as well. He was wearing a black T-Shirt with army pants like the one I have on. He wore black shoes with a sideways army hat. "Let's get this over with." I said as we stood a few feet away from each other. The music started and it was very up beat. I recognized it easily. _Here Comes the Boom by Nelly_. Good song and it could make any person move their bodies.

"Here are the rules. If one of us misses our moves, it's game over. And, this is for all the points… Whoever wins this task, wins everything. I'll start." He said as he started with a simple G-Kick, followed by a worm. He got up and I started showing my moves. I started with a coin drop and continued with a helicopter. I finished my turn with a side slide. People were clapping and cheering for both of us. He glared at me and started with a platform and kept the flow going with a pike. He continued with an airchair, which was extremely similar to the pike and ended with a baby freeze. I had to agree that he was quite good. As I walked backwards towards the Cullens, I saw Frederic enter the club, if you could even call it that. I was happy he came to see us.

But this was serious… I had to get a move in that would surprise the crowd and the Aunt Jackie would do it. I started the Aunt Jackie and followed with a Y-Kick in the air. I kept going with a flare when suddenly, my right shoulder started to hurt. No, this couldn't happen while I was finishing this stupid contest. I had to keep going. I got up and did a back flip.

Gahal was getting mad. He had to beat me to get me out of here for good. He started with a hand glide and worked his way up to a UFO/Air turtle, followed by an invert hops and finished with a winder. That was extremely hard to beat. But I knew one last move that could save me. Although my shoulder was getting worse by the second, I would finish with a move that I saw in the movie _Stomp the Yard_. It was complicated and I only did it once in my life but today, I was taking many risks. What could one more hurt? I turned around and I could hear Gahal laughing. He thought he'd won…

"Push me." I asked Edward.

"What?" He asked confusingly.

"Just do it, please!" I said and in a second, Edward pushed me with a good force that made me fall backwards and I brought myself back up with my shoulders. I was doing a candle and I pushed myself up in the air with my left elbow and I was sweeping across the floor. I did a backflip when I knew I was close to Gahal and turned around abruptly. My shoulder was giving me extreme pain but I could only wince. I did some Soulja Boy dance steps and dropped to a scissor move with a loud thump of my hand to the floor. I got back up and I was barely inches away from Gahal's face. He was extremely scared. No one could beat that but he was still trying.

He backed away from me and started with a windmill and went into a donut/icy ice. He stepped into a skyscraper and went into a lunar eclipse. It wasn't as impressive from the dance moves I just performed but it was a good start. I went into a macaco but suddenly, the pain became unbearable to handle and I fell to the ground. I kept a hold with my left hand on my right shoulder as I could feel cold hands on my shoulders as I winced in pain.

"Jules, are you ok?" Edward asked me as I tried to straighten myself but it was no use. The pain was worse than any other I've felt so far.

"Allow me." I could hear Frederic say as Edward took his hands off of me. I took my hand off of my shoulder slowly and shakily but it was very painful. I started to feel someone run their finger on the back of my shoulder and a sudden _thump_ on the pain. It diminished it but it didn't die completely.

I sighed and opened my eyes. I didn't even notice that I had closed them. I turned my head to find Frederic holding a glass with blue liquid inside. "Here. Drink this. It will help." I didn't even ask what was inside that glass but if it could help, I really didn't care right now. I drank the glass but the taste was absolutely repulsing!

I coughed continuously for a few seconds before turning to Frederic with a sickening look. "What'd you put in here?!" I asked disturbingly.

"Oh, trust me. You do not want to know." He said with a dismissive hand sign. I gave Frederic the drink back and Edward helped me to stand up. But… I had just ruined my chances of winning. Because of this stupid stunt, I lost and I could never come back here. This day really sucked.

I looked around to find Gahal smiling and people cheering for him. I walked away from the crowd and went towards the changing room to get back into my dress. Even though I hadn't eaten, I really didn't want to stay here if I didn't need to. "Wait!" A male voice said before I opened the door to the changing room. I turned around to find that Leryk spoke out from the crowd and was running towards me. The crowd opened up to him and the Cullens walked beside me. "I've never seen anyone perform like that in my life. It was original and inspiring. And I say that Jules is the winner of this final task." Leryk informed. My mouth opened unwillingly but this was just incredible!

"WHAT?!" Gahal exclaimed as he fast-walked over to us in a hurry. "This is not possible! She missed a move! That means an automatic loss! I should be the winner!" He was literally screaming to the top of his lungs. He was enraged.

"It's true that she missed one move but she did unbelievable moves that no Elf has ever done in history. I believe that Jules has every right to come here and be a respectable citizen in this city. I'm the judge and I declare that Jules the Human is the winner." Leryk said and an automatic smile came to my lips. As I stared at Leryk, one of the Elves in the crowd took a picture of me. "You're welcomed here any time you want." He said as he extended his hand and I shook it happily. Everything was going perfectly and I had finally changed some opinions to these people. Even if it was in the art of music and dancing, I still changed some opinions.

**Ok, so a longer chapter but it's pretty good right? REVIEW to tell me!!!**

**Bellacullenswan17**

14


	17. Lullaby

**Ok, so here's a cute chapter for you all!!! READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 17

Lullaby

Last night was the most enticing moment of my life. I danced my heart out in front of my love and new family plus, I was able to change the mind of a ruthless and snobbish Elf, and I wasn't talking about Gahal. Although he was a challenge, Leryk was an Elf that needed to change his mind… Even though we arrived quite late last night, I was finally able to eat! And I ate like royalty! Apparently, Evarak heard of the little

The next morning, I woke up with no Edward beside me. I wonder where he was off to today… I got up slowly and stretched my aching limbs. Yesterday had been hard work and my shoulder still wasn't healed. Maybe a warm shower would clear things up, I thought as I went towards the large bathroom. You could tell that this castle is expensive because the bathroom was the size of a living room! It had everything! A solid silver tub, a large shower, two sinks and many mirrors. But the one accessory that caught my eye was the very large television placed across from the bathtub. There was also a very large stereo that could fit six CDs. Incredible…

I would like this castle… I got undressed and stepped into the shower. As the hot water warmed my skin, I closed my eyes and started relaxed. It was the first time in many weeks that I wasn't able to relax. Everything kept piling up and my bad luck just kept getting worse. First, there was Vancouver… Those memories would never leave me. I still dreamt of Edward sucking me dry and the Angel of Death coming for me… Second, there was this intense pain in my shoulder that never left. It was getting worse everyday and the scar was enlarging as the time passed.

And third, the Elves. Although I had to change their minds, it was fun doing it. I had to smile at that thought. As I finished my relaxing shower, I dried my hair with a towel and went back to my room. Edward still wasn't back. I wonder where he was now… And Alice wasn't here. Either she was with Jasper or she was off shopping. Or she could be hunting. Although, it was early for them to go hunting. I hadn't seen their eyes change last night. Oh well…

I turned my head towards my left wall and saw that there was a lovely light outside. At least it wasn't a blazing sun and the Cullens could go outside without shining like diamonds. This would be a great day to think and read. I grabbed the eight gigabyte iPod that Austin gave me for my birthday and one of my favorite books, _Oliver Twist_ and started towards the hallway. There were many portraits in these hallways. Some were of Elves, others were more… unusual.

But there was a portrait that caught my eye. It was oh three men, all with different expressions but they all had the same bloodshot red eyes. Vampires. There was one in the middle with translucent skin that looked like onion skin. He had long black hair with milky red eyes that's unsettling me right now. There were two beside this man, one on each side of him. The man on his right had the same tone of skin, pale and translucent like onion skin and had shoulder length white hair, just like his skin and had red eyes. Although, the man at the left had, again, the same translucent skin but his hair's jet black and looked very long with red eyes.

They looked incredibly beautiful and fierce. I'd have to ask Edward who they were when I could find him. I tried to look away from the portrait of the three vampires but it was a challenge. I looked at the plate under the portrait but the only thing written was _The Volturi_. The Cullens had mentioned them a few times but not in detail. I managed to walk away from the portrait and walked out of the castle into the nice summer day. I checked my watch and it read nine forty-three. It was still quite early and I wasn't hungry just yet. I could wait a little longer. I walked towards the balcony—there were too many twists and turns in this castle that I wasn't surprised that I arrived on the balcony!—and found a tall tree leaning over the corner.

I didn't feel like sitting in one of the many chairs surrounded around the tables. I had already done enough sitting and resting to last me a long time! I looked the tree over carefully. There seemed to be many strong branches that could hold anything. Perfect… I grabbed the closest branch that I could find and flung myself forward. I jumped over the picket fence of the balcony and did a complete 360 degree turn. I arrived with my feet planted on the tree and it didn't tip over. Wow… This tree was really strong! I jumped up to grab the branch next to me and sat there, book and iPod in hand and started reading.

"Jules?" It seemed to be hours later when I could hear someone calling me from my music. Who was calling for me? I took one of my earplugs off and looked down. Alice was standing on the balcony.

"Alice?"

"What are you doing up there? Edward's been worried sick!" Alice explained. Of course… Edward worries about me too much but I know it's for my own good.

"Just felt like reading."

"Up in a tree?"

"Why not? And where have you guys been?"

"Evarak wanted to show us around the castle. By the time he was done, it had been hours!" Alice explained. "Can I come up?"

"Sure. Come on up." I said as I shifted on the branch and Alice came up. When she was beside me, she looked at me with fascination on her face. "What?"

"I didn't know you could dance like that. Where did you learn that?" Alice asked with joy in her face. She was really curious.

"I took a few lessons when I was younger. I guess it helped in the long run." I said as I looked towards the town. It looked small where I was sitting.

"But some of those moves were just… unthinkable! Especially that last one with the elbow! Where did you learn a move like _that_?!" Alice asked with excitement.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you…" I said with a smile.

"Try me." She tempted.

"Well, the first time I saw that dance move was on a movie called _Stomp the Yard_. I figured I'd give it a try. I only perfected this step once." I explained, numbering with my finger. "And it was last night…"

She looked dumbfounded, just like last night. She didn't believe me one bit… "You're kidding, right?"

"No."

"God… Well, you perfected it just right! You rocked out there last night!" I just had to laugh at that. She never talked like this before. She started laughing as well. I guess she was thinking the same thing I was. "Oh man… I sound like Emmett right now, don't I?"

"Kinda." I responded. "Alice? Can I ask you a question?" I looked away from her for a second.

"Sure. Shoot."

"What happened to you? You know… to become a vampire…?" It was hard asking this. I don't know why… it just was.

"What made you bring up the question?" She asked softly.

"Well, I don't know… Edward explained it to me when I figured out your secret but… I don't know… I figured I'd get to know you guys better that way." I explained. It was true. I never knew about their past, except for Edward. And Alice would be the perfect start.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I don't remember much of my past… But after some digging, I found a few things. I was born around 1901 in Biloxi, Mississippi as Mary Alice Brandon. I was committed to an asylum because I started having premonitions." She explained without even looking at me. "I was always kept in a dark cell when I was at the asylum. Carlisle says that's the reason why I can't remember much about my previous life. But I was being chased, chased by a vampire who wanted my blood… badly. His name was James. There was a man who worked at the asylum and he changed me to protect me from James in 1920.

"When I was changed, my premonitions increased and that was when my power really kicked in. I was able to see the future. Later after I was changed, I kept having visions of a man with curly blond hair and a dangerous looking face."

"Jasper?"

"Yeah. At the time, he was trying to survive in the world of vampires with two friends. He looked ferocious sometimes. When I searched for him, it was hard. When I found him, I knew he was the one person I wanted to be with forever. He came with me and we went to look for Carlisle. Carlisle accepted us with open arms into his coven and that's how we've been until this point." She finished.

"You've had your happy ending Alice." I said with a smile. It might have started off horribly but in the end, she has Jasper and a family that loves her.

"You could say that. Jasper helped me uncover my past. He also helped me look for some information about my "death". I found my grave and found out that the date they put on my tomb was the date I was admitted to the asylum." She explained as I put my head on her shoulder.

"How did you get that kind of information?" I just had to ask. The story was getting sad but good at the same time.

"I stole it." She smiled.

"Alice!" I retrieved my head from her shoulder and looked at her with a horrified look on my face.

"Well, how else was I supposed to discover my past?" She asked, shrugging her shoulders and raising her arms.

"I don't know! Ask someone for the records!"

"Well, at the time, I had to find out fast. Anyways, with the date on the tombstone, Jasper thought that it implied that I was "dead" to my family when they confined me to the asylum." She never even looked at me as she explained her story. But I was too much into the story of her past to care. "As we searched even more into the files, I found out that I had a sister named Cynthia Brandon."

"Whatever happened to her?"

"She had a daughter, technically my niece. Apparently, my niece still lives in Biloxi. But I never knew what happened to my sister. But that's my story." Alice was now looking at me. She looked happy that she was able to tell me something.

"Well, have you ever tried to meet her?"

"How can I? She'd probably think I'm a demon or something for staying nineteen forever. No, I can't." She looked away.

"You know, I never meant for you to say anything out of place. I was just curious." I said. I never wanted anyone to say something wrong.

"No, it's alright Jules. It feels good to get it off my chest. I don't get to tell that story often. I'm glad I got to tell you." She said as she looked at me with those golden eyes, staring straight into my blue eyes.

"That's good. Do you think James is still in the area?"

"I don't know… Maybe. We never know."

"Jules?! Alice?!" An angelic voice asked from afar. Edward. He's looking for both of us.

"We're over here Edward!" Alice screamed. I could see Edward coming over rapidly, his bronze hair waving in the dim light.

"There you are! I've been looking for you a while." He said as he looked at us from the balcony.

"I'll leave you two alone." Alice said as she dropped down from the tree onto the balcony and started skipping away. Edward started jumping off branches and in seconds, he was sitting beside me. "Hello love."

"Hey there handsome. How was the tour?"

"Long and interesting. But I hated being away from you." He said as he leaned over me, cupped his hand on my cheek and kissed me tenderly. As he kissed me, I kept wondering… With all of this bad luck that has been happening to me, what would happen to Edward if something went wrong with the black magic in me? Or even any of the Cullens? What if I hurt them? It would just pain me to see them hurt. I stopped the kiss and looked away from him. "What's wrong? Did I do anything wrong?" His angelic voice asked.

"No… no, it's not you. It's just… I feel like this is all going to go wrong!" My emotions got the better of me. Great… I put my hand on my forehead and closed my eyes. "I'm sorry Edward… I didn't mean to burst out like that."

"Jules, you don't have to apologize." He placed his hand on top of mine and brushed it softly. His cold hand was relaxing and heart-warming. But it didn't feel right now.

"It's just… I don't want anything to happen to any of you! If I hurt… any of you… I don't know what I'd do…" I said as I looked away from him.

"You're not going to hurt us Jules." Edward's soft voice said.

"But Edward, you don't get it." I started turning my head slowly to face Edward. He seemed sad. "I already have! Emotionally."

"Jules—"

"I've done it countless times, Edward, by almost getting myself killed." He winced. I knew I was hurting him right now. "Like now. And remember this?" I showed him my half-crescent shaped cold scar on my right shoulder from Vancouver when Edward bit me and Alice had to suck the venom out. "I could see the pain in your eyes when you were back to normal. I caused that. I cause your pain Edward." I could feel wetness on my cheeks as I turned away. I never wanted to show the tears but they flowed unwillingly down my cheeks.

"Jules, look at me." When he noticed I didn't budge, he kept saying: "Please Jules, look at me." He cupped my right cheek with his hand and I willingly turned my head to face him. "Jules, you won't hurt us. Evarak's meeting is in two days and you're going to be just fine after. Then, we'll go home and it will be all right." He said as he brought me in a hug. I almost forgot that we were sitting on a tree branch many feet above the ground. "Don't worry Jules. Everything will be alright."

"I don't know about that…" I said as I hugged him tenderly, the tears slowly dying.

He separated from the hug and I looked in his golden eyes. "Come with me." He said as he extended his hand to me.

"Where are we going?"

"I want to show you something." I took his hand and we descended the tree slowly. Edward kept a hold on my hand as we entered the castle again and went through many hallways to soon arrive in front of a wooden door.

"What's behind here?" I couldn't help but put a little anxiousness behind it. Now that Edward got my mind off of getting them hurt, I was anxious to what he wanted to show me.

"You'll see…" Great… Now he's being mysterious. He opened the door and everything inside the room was incredible. It was a gigantic library filled with shelves after shelves of ancient books. The room was large and it filled up dozens of bookcases that went as high as the ceiling. I stepped inside carefully, afraid that the room might break, and looked around. These books are amazing! Some were stories from my childhood; others were of potions and spells. Others were of ancient history, both Elf kind and human kind. I guess Evarak and his ancestors weren't mad against humans… In the middle of the room was a large black shining piano. "Would you like a seat?" He asked as he showed me the seat in front of the grand piano.

"I'm guessing you also have an artistic style?" I said sarcastically.

"I've had experience. Do you play the piano?"

"A little. Not enough to say I know everything." I took my seat next to him and his fingers started to move across the keys. They moved so fast you couldn't even tell that he was the one playing. It was a complex and relaxing music that it was even remarkable that one person could be playing it. "This is amazing." I said as he kept playing.

"It's Esme's favorite. But this one, you inspired me to create. It's similar but only for you." He said as the music slowed and it was becoming a much softer and, surprisingly, comfortable. It sounded very familiar to me… Where have I heard it before? Now I remember! He hummed that lullaby when I was in the hospital with a raging fever, just a few days before Christmas.

"You sang this to me before. When I was in the hospital."

"Which time?" He said with that dazzling smile of his.

"Great… my boyfriend's a wise guy." I said sarcastically. "But seriously, you sang this to me before."

"I remember. Do you like it?"

"I love it. Thank you Edward." I said as I leaned into his shoulder as he kept playing my sweet lullaby.

"Would you like me to stop?" He said as he grinned that dazzling smile at me mockingly.

"Hardly." I said as I got more comfortable.

This was very special. I couldn't believe that Edward actually wrote something for me that was this relaxing. Now, the only thing that could ruin this time with Edward would be if something happened during the meeting.

I just hope nothing would happen…

**So there you go. REVIEW PEOPLE PLEASE!!!**

**Bellacullenswan17**

10


	18. Uncontrollable meeting

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!!! LOVE YOU ALL!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 18

Uncontrollable meeting

The past two days were relaxing and comfortable as long as I was with Edward. We walked around the castle and discussed about our return to school. It had already been a month that summer had started and now there was less than a month left. I didn't expect to stay here this long but I might as well stick it out.

When I woke up on the second day, it was slightly sunny outside. The rays were shining on me as I started to position myself. I yawned as I felt cold arms wrap around my waist. I closed my mouth and turned my head to find Edward smiling at me. "Good morning love." His angelic voice said.

"Morning. What time is it?" I said as I stretched my numbing arms. I felt like I've been asleep forever.

"Around ten o'clock. You need the rest. You know what day it is today?"

"Today's the meeting…"

"It's going to be alright, Jules." I was pulled against his chest and he petted my hair.

"But Edward… what if… what if it doesn't work? What if they won't accept to help me?" I said as I looked him straight in the eyes.

"Don't think that way Jules. It's going to work… It has to." His embrace because stronger but it was comforting. At least one of us believed in me…

"I'm going to take a shower. Will you allow me a human moment?" I asked as I started to get out from his embrace and walked out of bed.

"Of course." He seemed hurt.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just… scared." I said as he got up and went up to me. He wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my hair.

"You have every right to be. Not everyone goes through something like this. You'll do fine. We'll be right beside you the whole time." He said as he cupped his hand on my cheek.

"Wait, how come you're allowed to come to the meeting?"

"Carlisle is a close friend of many of the Council members. And Frederic will be there too." He informed. "Don't worry Jules. We'll stand by you one hundred percent."

"Alright… I'll take your word for it. But seriously, I really need a shower. It'll only take me a few minutes. I'll be right back." I said as I grabbed a few clothes and headed towards the large bathroom.

A few minutes later, I was dressed in a blue and purple dress that Alice gave me and started drying my hair. I kissed Edward on the mouth and we headed towards the hallway once again. It took us a few minutes to arrive in front of a large wooden door. The Cullens started arriving one after the other and they looked confident. Most of them looked formal. Frederic was following them in a white suit.

"Are you ready Jules?" Carlisle asked in his black suit.

"Ask me that after the meeting and I'll be able to answer you truthfully." I said as I took Edward's hand in mine beside me.

"I'll take that as a no." Emmett said as he looked away.

"Emmett." Esme said as she gave him a stern look.

"What? I'm just trying to help." He said defensively.

"Yeah, well… I don't think it's helping at this minute, honey." Rosalie said as she rubbed her boyfriend's arm softly.

"It's alright Emmett. I'm just… freaked." I said as I looked at all of them.

"Don't worry Jules. It's going to go well." Alice said.

"Shall we?" Frederic finally spoke as he cut through the crowd of Cullens.

"Well, look who's spiffy in his new treads!" I said, impressed on how he looked. His silver hair was complimented by the white suit and it made him look like he was shining.

"Thank you. I did not really have time to prepare." He said as he looked at himself. "We had better get a move on. The Council members are not known for their patience.

I took a deep breath and opened the door with difficulty. Man, this door's heavy! Once we stepped in the room, the room looked like a giant court room. One large almost ten feet half-moon table was placed at the far back of the room with thirteen chairs behind. I guess it was for all of these Council members _and_ the Cullens… and Frederic. The room was only lit by spotlights showing every chair in the room. Each of the Cullens started going to their appropriate seats but Edward was the only one who stayed beside me.

"Just take deep breaths and you'll do fine Jules. I love you." He said before kissing me. After we kissed, he petted my cheek before taking his seat between Alice and Frederic. Alice was beside Jasper, Edward and Frederic on the far left side of the table and the rest of the Cullens were on the far right side of the table. Carlisle was the farthest from everyone but he was beside Esme, Emmett and Rosalie, in that order.

Standing here in the middle of this room, with only a spotlight on top of me, was making me even more nervous. What if I didn't say what they wanted me to respond? And if I made a move that wasn't to be made? So many things could go wrong that I couldn't even breathe. But I had to listen to Edward. Nothing could happen… I mean, what could go wrong? I laughed pathetically lowly when suddenly, four elderly men started to settle in four chairs. It wasn't long until Evarak came in at last.

"Let us get this meeting started, shall we?" He said as he took his seat in the middle of the table. I guess he was the chief of this meeting… or any meeting of that matter. "Juliette Elizabeth Shrike, eighteen years old, human, going into her last year of high school at Olympia High School. Current status, living with the vampire family of Esme and Carlisle Cullen, dating vampire Edward Cullen and under the influence of black magic." Ok, how did that Elf get information on my personal life?! Carlisle or Frederic probably gave it to him… Oh well, it didn't matter right now. The meeting was already going on. Couldn't do anything about it.

"So Juliette, how are you today?" Evarak asked.

"Fine…" I said, my voice shaky.

"There's no need to be nervous Juliette. But there is one thing you have to remember. You can only speak when and if you are spoken to." The elder on the right of Evarak said. He had a gray beard and white hair that went to his shoulders. His eyes were silver and deep as a pit.

"Now now, Herak. There's no need to be like that. We don't want her to be any more nervous than she already is." Another man said. He didn't look as old as Herak but close enough. His hair was a mix of black and white with a golden earring on his left ear. His eyes were the same. Come to think of it, all of the elders had the same set of eyes.

"Stop your jabbering Keltor. Let's start asking her questions already." Another man said. This one seemed the oldest of all of them. He had white hair with a white beard and deep silver eyes. His wrinkles showed that he knew a lot about the world…

"Laya, be nice." Evarak said with an inch of impatience to his tone.

"Evarak, you should know that he's always like this!" The last elderly man said. He was a bald man with a long gray beard, which complimented his silver eyes even more.

"Oh, you're asking for it Altor!" Laya said. What was up with these guys? Were they always like this? The Cullens seemed tired of this arguing so, Evarak raised his hands.

"Enough! We've got bigger things at hand than bickering like this! Juliette, are you ready?" Evarak asked as he looked at me with those shining silver eyes.

"Um… yes."

"Perfect. Now, Juliette, did something strange happen to you since you came here?" He asked.

"Yes." I simply said.

"Explain to us then." Laya said.

"The first day I awoke here, my heart began to contract uncontrollably and Evarak helped me. Also, when I went to a restaurant downtown in the city, my shoulder began to hurt immensely. And…" I didn't know if I should continue.

"And? If there's anything else that you might have experienced, you should tell us." Keltor said.

"Well, this morning…" Edward turned to face me with a confused expression. I knew this was going to sound awful to him. I should have told him. "When I went to take a shower, my head started to hurt. I just figured it was a light headache so, I let it go for the time being and took a relaxing shower. I don't exactly know if this has anything to do with it but… it might." I explained in details. Edward looked hurt. I knew this would turn in my face someday.

"Well, the only way that we can be sure of anything would be to have a demonstration. Care to show us?" Altor said.

"I can't…" I said as I looked away from them.

"What do you mean, you can't?! You dare defy us?" Laya asked.

"No, not at all. It's just… it doesn't come on demand. It just comes… uncontrollably." I explained.

"Well then, we'll just have to provoke it, won't we?" Laya said.

"Laya, I am sure that's not necessary. Evarak has witnessed what this power has done to her. And so have we." Frederic said.

"Frederic, you know we have to witness it ourselves so we can make our decision. There's no other way." Keltor said.

"I'm sure there's another way to do this! It'll only make her suffer if we try to force it out of her!" Carlisle said.

"Carlisle, you know as well as I do that for us to make our decision, whether to help this human girl or not, we need to see what is causing this. And if we don't force it out of her, we will be forced to disagree with her." Altor said.

"As my brother says, that is the only way to do it." Keltor said. I couldn't believe these two were brothers… But all this arguing was making my temples hurt. What was causing this? This is exactly what happened in the bathroom this morning. I started to rub it a little but it didn't help. They kept arguing and the pain started to grow from my temples to my head completely.

"They're so annoying." I heard a masculine voice say. It was familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it. I looked around the room and saw that no one heard the voice. Why was I the only one who could hear it? The pain kept coming and I put both hands on each side of my head. This wasn't happening… not again. I closed my eyes to try and dilute the pain but nothing seemed to be working properly. I couldn't think straight and the pain was intensifying every second.

"Carlisle, it's final! We have to get her to prove to us she is contaminated by something!" Herak said.

"But she already told you what happened to her! And that was only part of it! You only asked her to tell her pain from when she arrived here! There's plenty more that happened while she was with us!" Carlisle explained.

"Man, this is so getting on my nerves!" The voice said again. I went on my knees when the pain started too excruciatingly to withstand. I winced in pain. "Oh you useless human, move aside and let me take over!" I heard someone call my name. I tried to open my eyes and surprisingly, it worked. When my eyes fluttered slowly opened, I saw everyone in the room looking at me worryingly.

"Edwa..." I tried to say but then the pain was too much. I put my head to the floor, my hands still holding my head. I wanted so badly to scream but I didn't want Edward to worry too much about me. It wasn't worth it.

"Man, you're so persistent! I guess I'll have to make this harder on you!" The voice said and now, I had to straighten up and scream. Suddenly, I could feel some pressure come all around me and the floor was crushing right under me. Suddenly, the pain was too much to handle that I felt as if I was slipping into unconsciousness.

It felt like it was forever when I opened my eyes again. Once my eyes decided to open, my surroundings were somber. My vision wasn't restored for a period of time but after a few seconds, I could clearly see what was around me. The simple answer to that was… nothing. It was just black. The only light that shone in this room, if you could even call it that, was in front of me. There was a rectangle box the size of a theater screen that shone the Cullens and the Council members. The rectangular box looked like a television, except much bigger in comparison. But there was a black shadow hiding part of the television. Who was that person?

"Oh man! It feels so good to be in a body again!" The manly voice said as he stretched his limbs. "Man, you guys are really unobservant!"

"You…" Edward said. Where was he?!

"Well, hello Cullens. Good afternoon Council Members, Evarak, father." The voice said again. He seemed to be moving at the same time that he was speaking but nothing happened.

"Gustaev…" I could hear the voices around. That voice was Altor's. But where were they all coming from? And who was Gustaev? It seemed… like an Elf name. Who was this person?! And what did he want with me?

"I can't believe it took me this long just to get a body! I mean, you wouldn't believe how many times I tried to kill this stupid human! I tried everything! Bleeding from the shoulder countless times, unbearable pain, heart contraction, and now this. Man, this little pest doesn't know when to quit!" Gustaev explained. Wait… there would be only one person who could do something like that…

Gus.

**And here with go again!!! Gus came back!!! Ohhhh…. What's he going to do? Find out with REVIEWS!!!**

**Bellacullenswan17**

8


	19. Mind control

**Alright, so what will happen now? READ AND THEN REVIEW!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 19

Mind control

"What have you done to Jules?!" Rosalie said; a snarl behind her voice.

"Don't know, don't care." Gus said. I tried to move my hands around but they were bound together behind my back. But with what exactly, I don't know. As I tried to wiggle my hands free, I could feel the tension of the binds getting stronger and my wrists hurting more and more. After a while, I could feel something trickling down my wrists. "Mind control rules."

"If you did _anything_ to her, I will rip you apart for a long time!" Emmett said, another snarl.

"Ah, ah, ah… I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"And why not?" That was Alice. Her usual pixie voice was filled with hatred.

"Because, if your girlfriend's still in me, you might not want to kill her now, would you?" Gus said with a certain tone to his voice. I couldn't see his face since his back was facing me but I could figure out that there was a grin on his face.

"Why you…" Edward snarled at him. I could see him. His expression was pained. Dang… Why was this happening to me? Of all days…

"Man, the only thing horrible about this is that I'm a filthy human." He said as he touched his face. That's the only thing I could see. He probably knew that I was here. The Cullens seemed happy with that statement but I was literally snarling. I guess this was practice for when I would become a vampire.

"That's not a problem!" Edward said as he ran at vampire speed and put his hand up to Gus's neck and started squeezing. Suddenly, I could feel my neck starting to hurt and I couldn't breathe. What was happening now? But I could fit the pieces together. Edward was strangling Gus, which meant that Gus was in my body and since I was still in my own mind, he was strangling me.

"You really… have guts… I'm sure your girlfriend's… loving this pain… right now… " Gus said as he tried to take breaths in.

"You're lying!" Edward snarled.

"Am I…?" He said with difficulty.

"Ed… ward…" I tried to say. Somehow, his grip loosened on Gus and I could finally breathe now. I looked at the screen and I saw his pained expression.

"Jules…?" Edward asked as he backed up towards his family. They all looked shocked.

"Now, you see? I wasn't lying! Such little faith in me." He said with sarcasm. "And you will pay for that! The only reason I couldn't kill your girlfriend is because of her stupid voice! But you won't be able to stop her now!" Wait… my voice? My voice stopped him from _killing_ me?! Well, now I have the upper advantage now…

"If you do _anything_ to hurt her, you'll regret ever coming back here!" Esme said with a snarl. Did Esme ever snarl at anyone? It was a change for her.

"Oh, you'll pay Cullens! You'll pay for ever hurting me all those years ago!" Gus said with anger in his voice.

"Why are you doing this Gustaev?" Altor asked.

"Because I want my revenge on these vampires! They ruined my life! I was an Elf before I was turned into a vampire and they were the first ones to go against me!" Gus said.

"We were only trying to stop you from taking an innocent life away!" Carlisle said. He was right. Taking the blood from a human was killing and the Cullens would never let that happen.

"But you scarred me for life!" He said as he lifted his shirt apparently. "So now, I'm going to scar you!"

I couldn't let him hurt any of them. I had to stop him from hurting them and I knew just how to do it… But which song to take? I needed to get a song that would catch at Gus and the Cullens's attention. I got it! I took a deep breath and started singing _Halo_ by_ Beyoncé_. This song was perfect for everyone and when I started singing, I told myself mentally to start putting music. Well, this _was_ my mind after all. When I started singing, I saw Gus turn around and I could see the Cullens wondering where the voice came from. Edward had heard me seconds ago but he didn't know where it came from. It certainly didn't come from Gus's mouth!

As I sang, I could feel the bonds starting to break. After a few seconds, I could feel my wrists being set free. When they were free, I started to get up and sang towards Gus.

"It's Jules's voice!" Alice said.

"But where's it coming from?" Carlisle asked.

"It doesn't matter! It got him distracted." Jasper said. I knew this was working. Gus was looking at me dumbfounded and I knew I had him in the palm of my hand. I got up to him as I kept singing and hit him right in the face. When I hit him in the cheek, I could feel the hit right in my face. I guess if I did something to him, it reflected on me too. I hit him in the back of the neck and Gus went down to the floor groaning.

"Edward! You have to attack him!" I said to him. I knew that Gus would be out for a while but for how long was the question.

"But… I can't!" Edward said, his voice pained.

"You have to! Edward, the only way you can save me it's if you attack me!" I said. I could hear Gus starting to regain his senses. I only had a few seconds, maybe. "Please Edward, when I tell you to, attack him! Don't hesitate!"

"But…"

"Don't worry. I'll get out before the hit comes at me. Just do it!" I said before Gus took a hold of my shoulder and threw me across the room. My back hit the floor and I gasped out in pain.

So did Gus. "Why you little…" He didn't finish his phrase. I got up and looked at him right in the eyes. He knew I meant business. "_You shouldn't even be here._" He thought. I guess he really wanted me to know what he was thinking.

"_Well, I am so bring it on._" I said as I started running towards him. He wasn't expecting it. I took a hold on his shoulders and kneed him in the stomach. I gasped in pain when I felt the hit in my stomach but I went to punch him in the back when he took hold of my left ankle and flipped it. I started falling backwards and landed hard on my back. He felt the pain too and gasped out just like me. He wasn't going to give up easily.

"What's happening?!" Alice asked. Gus must be showing his pain in front of them.

"Jules is fighting to stop the mind control." Edward said flatly.

"_You're persistent, I'll give you that._" Gus said.

"_I'll take that as a compliment._" I said with a sarcastic smile on my face. He didn't like that.

"_Then let me finish it!_" He said as he came running to me in pain and tried to attack me. Thankfully, I got up easily and punched him in the eye. Unfortunately, the hit came at me too.

I took him by the shoulders and held him for a second. "Get out of my head!" I said as I threw him across the room and grunted in pain. This pain was going to bruise me but I didn't care. As he went flying, I said: "Edward, now!" as Gus went flying through a patch of light and suddenly, there was electricity all around me. When the electricity stopped, Gus was backing away from me and I was standing in the dimly lit room again, surrounded by all the Cullens and the Council members, including Evarak.

"Jules!" I heard Rosalie say as I took deep shallow breaths. All that fighting inside my own mind made me feel exhausted.

"Are you alright?" Carlisle asked.

"I'm fine…" I said but I started to wobble from my stance. Alice was right behind me to catch me. When I looked at Gus, Emmett and Edward were holding Gus strongly by the arms.

"Why you little witch!" He said as he tried to get away from their holds.

"Don't you talk to my girlfriend like that!" Edward said as he tightened his grip on Gus.

"I'm quite disappointed in you Gustaev. I expected more of you." Altor said as he approached his son.

"I have unfinished business with this little pest and I intend to finish it right here, right now!" Gus said as he tried to get away from the hold again.

"You won't be getting any—" Emmett tried saying.

"Let him." I said as I tried to stand up correctly but Alice helped me.

"Jules, you are _not_ fighting in your—" Alice tried to say but I wouldn't let her.

"Alice, I'm fine… I can handle this… Besides, we're on the same level. He's as weak as I am…" I said as Edward and Emmett let go of him and Gus started to approach me.

"You're going to regret ever messing with me, pest." He said as everyone backed away from us.

"We'll see… But there's one rule." I explained.

"And what might that be?"

"No magic."

"Fine." He said as he backed away from me.

"Then let's get started." I said as I got ready for any hit coming at me.

"Let's…" He said as he started running at me and I was ready. He went for a first punch to the head but I blocked it and punched him in the stomach. He doubled over and backed away. Now, I got him ticked. "Now, give me your best shot!" He said as he beckoned me to come at him. Now _that_, I could do…

I made a front flip and jumped right at him, foot extended to kick him in the face. Unfortunately, he saw it coming and took hold of my foot. He threw me across the room and I landed with my foot on the wall. I pushed myself from the wall and ricocheted across the room to land in front of him and try to land a punch on Gus's smirk face. He blocked it away and he kicked me in the stomach. I doubled over and was sent backwards slightly, just like before. Man, this guy was good…

"You've got talent, I'll give you that much…" He said as he started to take deep shallow breaths. I mirrored him as I stood up right.

"Thanks but I'd rather beat you and get this over with right now…" I said as I jumped in the air and did a twist in the air to try and kick Gus's head off. With my bad luck again, he tried to grab my neck but I put both my hands up protectively and he grabbed both of my wrists. He pushed me to the floor and pushed my wrists to my throat. Now, he started cutting my air supply.

"Not so tough now, are you weakling?" Oh, that's it! I was starting to get sick and tired of being called weakling or that I was just plain weak.

"Don't… call me… A WEAKLING!" I said as I kicked him in his soft spot and he took his hand off of me. I got up and kicked him in the back. He went to the floor painfully and I stood there until he got back up. Now, he was trying to get at me. There was one trick that Master Fuujio thought me that would finish any foe that was this weak and I had to use it but it had to be right timing…

He came at me and kicked me in the face with the tip of his boot. That would bruise me in the end. He pushed me to the wall and grabbed my shoulder. This time, he sent a wave of black electricity through me. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of screaming so instead, I just closed my mouth and held in the screams. "Go ahead! Scream, pathetic human!" He said as his left hand made a black knife and pointed it right to my neck.

"I will not… give you the satisfaction… of screaming!" I said as I reached for his left wrist and pushed it towards his other arm. The knife slid across his arm and he let go of me. Now was the good time to use the maneuver.

"Time to end this…" I said to myself as he tried to come towards me. I could hear the Cullens cheering me on but now, the only thing that mattered was to try and succeed with this maneuver. I took a deep breath and swung my leg under him and made him start to fall sideways. I got up swiftly and my leg started to glow blue. I kicked Gus in the stomach and he fell to the floor but surprisingly, once he landed on the floor, he went up in the air. I jumped and made a sideways flip and kicked him when he reached my height in the air. When the kick hit him in the ribs, he started flying towards the wall and he crashed into it, leaving smoke all around the hole.

I landed back on the floor with one hand on the floor and my legs extended, almost like a split. When the smoke cleared, Gus was on the floor motionless. I started to get up slowly as everyone in the room looked at Gus on the floor but suddenly, an immense wave of fatigue washed over me. I started to close my eyes slowly as I started to fall sideways but strong cold arms held me. "Easy there…" A soft voice said.

"Thanks Rose…" I said as I opened my eyes and she put my left arm around her shoulders and took a hold on my waist to hold my weight.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked as he came up to me with Alice by his side. They seemed worried.

"Yeah… just fine… Just tired…" I said as I tried to get up but I didn't have any strength in my legs to move. It was a good thing that Rosalie was keeping a hold on me or I would have fallen flat on my face.

"Here, let me take her." Edward said as he put his arm under my knees and around my waist and suddenly whisked me into his arms.

"That was so awesome!" Emmett said as he came towards us with Jasper, Esme and Carlisle by his side. My eyelids were starting to droop on their own but I suppressed the need to fall asleep.

"Edward, you might want to put her to bed. She looks exhausted." I heard Frederic say.

"No… I'm fine… Really…" I said as I tried to get up but even then, my strength wasn't with me. I heard someone snap their fingers and scream something.

"Kynark! Leorn! Grab the prisoner and bring him to one of the Kimbarchy." That was Evarak's voice.

"What's a Kimbarchy…?" I asked softly.

"It's a magical cell, love. Don't worry about that now love. Just rest. Everything's alright now." His soothing voice said. I started to close my eyes softly and slowly.

I could feel Edward starting to walk away but suddenly, a voice said: "Wait.". I could recognize that voice. It was Altor's.

"Yes?" Carlisle asked.

"In spite of my son's behavior, we all see what has happened to this young human." Altor kept saying.

"This so-called Elf has manipulated and misused his powers of a vampire and of his black magic on her, which is in violation of any laws of the supernatural world." Evarak said.

"The law says you can use your powers if it is in good hands. Now, we all see that it wasn't." Keltor said.

"We're sorry that we couldn't believe what she was saying. I guess we were caught in our own world at the time." Laya said.

"It's alright…" I tried to say. I think they heard me.

"The punishment for this man's action is prison. He will be kept in a Kimbarchy for a great time until we can decide a faith for this Elf." Herak explained.

I think I have an idea… I thought to myself. I knew it was crazy but it would have to work in the end, hopefully.

"But our final decision in the matter of helping this young woman, we decide that… we will help her." Evarak said. I was extremely happy but my eyelids started to fall on their own and I had no strength whatsoever to keep them open. I was on the verge of falling asleep when I heard Evarak continue. "Let her come by the throne room in two days and we will begin the ceremony." He finished on that note.

"I don't think there will be a problem to that." I heard Edward say before I started to fall asleep. This was perfect. Even though this day started out rotten, it still ended well. Now, I was going to get the black magic removed from me and I could hold onto Edward without anything wrong happening. "Sleep my love." Edward said before I slipped into a deep sleep.

**OHHHHHH!!! Some fighting and threats!!! What will happen next? REVIEW!!!**

**Bellacullenswan17**

9


	20. Magic removed

**OOHHHH!!! So read and review to know what happens now!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 20

Magic removed

As I dreamt, I returned to the same nightmare as before. The Vancouver nightmare.

_I returned to the same dark room in the old theater in Vancouver. I took in my surroundings to find that it was only darkness and torches lit by fire. The only people around me were Edward, Alice and Rose. Thank god! But there was something different about him this time… He seemed angrier and more threatening. But the one thing that caught my eyes about him was his eyes. They were bloodshot red. He snarled at me and ran up to me at vampire speed. He took a hold on my neck and started squeezing harder and harder. "Alice… Rosalie… Help me…" I tried to say but nobody came to help me. Where were they? They were there just a few seconds ago… When Edward put his head on my right shoulder, he bit it and started sucking. I gasped out and tried to get him to stop but nothing happened. He just kept sucking more blood out of me. Suddenly, as my vision started to fade, I saw a man dressed all in black appear in front of me. I could spot that man from a mile away. It was the Angel of Death, coming for me. When he appeared, a woman dressed all in white appeared beside him. But that woman was… me. The version of me dressed in white took his hand and started leaving as I closed my eyes. NO!_

I woke up with a startle. My forehead was damp and my breathing was irregular, once again. It was still very dark outside. I looked at my watch and unfortunately, it was broken. Great…

"Why does this keep happening to me?" I said to myself as I put my hand to my sweaty forehead.

"Quite peculiar, is it not? You have survived this long when you were supposed to be dead and gone long ago." A deep voice said from across the room. I looked towards the sound of the voice and noticed someone I wanted to forget in a long while sitting in a chair in a corner of the room close to the door… The Angel of Death. "You have been on my list for quite some time now. I thought that a few days ago would have been the day I would have had you in my grasp but you managed to escape once again."

"So, what are you going to do now? Kill me here and now?" I asked as I backed away a little in my bed.

"I cannot kill anyone just like that. I am neutral Juliette. Unfortunately, I cannot take a life away simply for my pleasure. But if Gustaev would have stayed in your mind any longer, you would have been extinguished from existence and you would have been mine…" He said as he got up from his seat and approached the bed. I got up and went out of my bed. Good thing I was now wearing a tank top and pajama pants. But wait a second… who would have changed me? Probably Alice or Rose. Maybe even Esme… but highly unlikely. "But we cannot get everything we want in life, can we?"

"Is that a rhetorical question?" I teased.

"Very funny Juliette. Have you ever thought of yourself lately?" He asked.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about…" Where was he getting at?

"Well, I thought you would have figured it out by now. Judging by your response, I see not."

"Just get on with it!"

"You would rather have those around you that you love killed other than kill yourself. Quite terrible…" He said as I went up to him.

"What are you talking about?!"

"Let us look at it this way, shall we? You bring along those you care most about into your problems and they are brought into danger. Remember Vancouver? The ones you cared most about have not fed for many days while they were searching for you and when they found you, you brought them right to those two sadistic vampires. And remember when your car almost killed you? You brought the shaman to save you, even though you did not know who he was at the time. I suppose you do now." He explained with a certain tone that made me rethink things now...

But he was right… I would have had them all killed with those dangerous times. "You know, I just realized something."

"And what might that be?" He looked at me with deep black eyes. I guess it fit his clothes.

"You are exactly like Frederic. You don't use shorter words like I'd or wouldn't."

"You hide your fear with humor. Not a good show of character. But then again, I see a lot of blood in your future. I might still win. Interesting…" He said as he looked away from me and looked at the ceiling.

"You've seen my future?" I asked sheepishly. If he said that there was going to be blood in my future, then he might actually be able to get me. I knew that this would kill Edward.

"Sure have. I quite enjoyed your end but it was quite heartbreaking." He said with sarcastic humor.

"Just great…" I said as I looked away from him.

"But think about it this way, you are the first one on my list therefore; I will be looking forward to catching that wonderful spirit of yours." He said as he took a hold of my chin. His hand felt extremely cold. Colder than any vampire hands should feel like. Must be that he's Death itself.

"But isn't there anybody you want more than mine?" I said as I pushed his hand away.

"Actually, there is one but I have been trying for years to get Gustaev." He said as he started to think. "Cannot get a vampire who is immortal."

"Wait… You're after _him_?! He's in the cells in the castle! And he's human." I explained as I pointed towards the floor.

"Well, he will be much easier to get to him now." Maybe now was the time to get my idea underway.

"Well, how would you feel for a little bargain?" I asked.

He started to sit down on the chair again as I sat on my bed. Good thing it was still dark outside. "What kind of a bargain?" He asked. Now, he was interested.

"Since you want Gus more than me, how about we make a trade? My name for his?" I proposed.

"Sounds like a good idea but I will have to rethink that. Well, since I now have to leave, you have better think of what I said. And next time you start having that dream of yours, expect me in your room." He said before evaporating in a black mist. This was unbelievable. I had just talked to Death up and personal and he told me unbearable things. _You would rather have those around you that you love killed other than kill yourself_. That was harsh but it was the truth…

I tried to go back to sleep but the thought of Death in my room and our conversation was hard to take out of my mind. But for some reason, after many hours, I was able to go back to sleep.

When I awoke again, it was bright outside. Not completely sunny but it was a nice day. It was nicer since Edward was beside me. "Good morning, my love." His angelic voice said as he rubbed my cheek lovingly.

"Hey. What time is it?" I asked as I rubbed my tired eyes.

"About two in the afternoon. You've slept more than two whole days." He explained. I got up from my bed and stretched.

"Well, that just shows that I've got to get out of bed." I said with the best smile I could come up with.

"Is something wrong?" He knew something was up with me, probably by my smile.

"No, nothing's wrong." I lied.

"Lie." Jasper said as he passed towards my room.

"Jasper, you _really_ need to stop saying that!" I screamed at him.

"What does Jasper mean when he says, lie?" Edward asked as he came closer to me.

"It's nothing Edward. Don't worry about it." I said to him as I kissed him on the cheek.

"Please Jules, if there's something wrong, you can tell me anything." Edward said as he took my arm carefully and kissed me on my forehead.

"I know. But you don't need to worry about this Edward. It's nothing. Please, just forget about it." I said as I kissed him on the hand and went to get a pile of new clothes from the dresser.

"You know I won't." He said with his dazzling smile of his.

"Look, I just talked to the Angel of Death last night and he just opened my mind to things…" Edward snarled at that. "Trust me, I was nothing wrong. He wasn't after me this time. Although he will be soon I guess…" I said as I turned away from him.

"He won't be anywhere near you. I promise that." He said as he brought me into a hug.

"Edward, you can't protect me forever. You know that, right?" I said as I looked at him in his golden eyes.

"You know that I will try, with all my might."

"And we will too." I heard someone say from the doorway. We turned around and found all the Cullens in the doorway.

"Oh, will you guys always be eavesdropping on us?" I asked with humor.

"It was Alice's idea." Emmett said.

"Emmett!" Alice said as she hit him in the stomach.

"Sorry but it's true." Emmett said as he rubbed his stomach. He wasn't the only one in pain. Ever since I got up, I started to feel my muscles tighten with every move I make. I lifted my shirt slightly to show my stomach but there were only bruises.

"You're not the only in pain Emmett." I said with a smile.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Carlisle asked.

"Not bad. I mean, it's going to take a while for my bruises and sore spots to heal but it's nothing." I said as I put my shirt down and Edward put his arm around me softly.

"And what's this I hear about you having a conversation with the Angel of Death?!" Rosalie asked.

"After I woke up in the middle of the night, he came to me and I guess he wanted to have a talk with me… I don't know. I don't understand him yet. And I hope I don't get to anytime soon… Now, don't I have a meeting to go to? I want this black magic to be gone forever. But first, I need a shower. Excuse me. I need many human minutes." I said as I went to the bathroom and took a shower before getting changed and met up with the Cullens again in my room.

"Ok, so where did they say that we need to meet them? My memory's kind of fuzzy from a few days ago." I asked.

"I can't really blame you Jules. You went through a lot in the past few days." Jasper said; still cuddling his wife in his arms.

"Thanks Jasper…" I said sarcastically.

"And besides, you should take a few days off. The Council members can wait. You should rest." Esme said. "All this magic business can't be healthy for you."

"But Esme, I know you're the doctor and all but I've been asleep for two days, of what Edward told me. For me, that's enough rest. And besides, I want this over with. I want to be able to hold my boyfriend without sending black magic, or having pain shoot through my shoulder. I want this over with." I explained.

"I understand that. But shouldn't you find the time to let your wounds heal?" Esme said.

"When my shoulder will be fixed, _then_ I'll relax. How does that sound?" I asked.

"Well… alright. I guess that works." Carlisle said.

"Now, where do we have to go?"

"To the throne room. But they decided that we can't accompany you." Rosalie said.

"Alright then, I'll find my way over there and get this over with. I'll be back in a few minutes… or hours, depending how it goes." I said as I started to leave the room but Edward came at me at vampire speed and took a hold on my wrist. I stopped dead in my tracks and I turned my head to look at him. He looked sad. "Don't worry Edward, I'll be fine. Trust me." I said before kissing him on the lips and exiting the room.

I walked down the hallways and surprisingly, I could remember my way to the throne room. But it was hard telling Edward not to worry. I mean, the Angel of Death wanted me, and he wanted me badly. But I made him an offer that I don't think he could resist. Although I was a wanted person, I would enjoy every moment with Edward and the Cullens.

When I arrived in the throne room, every Council member was here. Keltor, Altor, Herak, Laya and Evarak were all arguing… again. Wasn't surprising. That's the only thing that was fresh in my mind. All the Council members fighting. Don't get me wrong, I could remember what happened with Gus, but it was faint. I cleared my throat and they turned to face me. "Um… am I too early?" I asked shyly.

"No, actually you're right on time, Juliette." Evarak said as he started to come towards me. "Are you feeling better?" He asked softly.

"Yes."

"Don't worry Juliette; you're not on trial anymore." Laya said.

"It was a trial? I thought it was a meeting?" I asked confusingly.

"That's just Herak for you. He finds everyone on trial." Evarak whispered to me.

"Thanks for the heads up." I said sheepishly.

"So, let's get this over with. I have a meeting with some werewolves in a few hours." Werewolves? I wondered if the Cullens got along with werewolves… They said that they got along well with many creatures, but were werewolves one of them?

"Alright. Juliette, are you ready?" Altor asked.

"Yes." I said with a smile.

"I'm sorry about my son. I never thought he would be such a violent person. He used to be nice." Altor said as he came up to me.

"It's alright. It's nothing anyways. I kinda understand his past." I said, although that was a lie. I couldn't understand why Gus would want to get revenge on someone just because they scarred him.

"Alright then, let's get started." Keltor said with a smile. Suddenly, all the Council members went on one side of the room and I was left on the other side. "Juliette, if you could stand before that pentagon right there, it would be lovely."

"Alright." I said as I went towards the pentagon written on the wall next to them and took a few steps in front of them.

"Thank you. Now, you will need to stay still for this to work. It might be a little painful but it will help you in the end." Evarak said. Oh no… This couldn't be good… I wonder what would happen. "Alright, be ready Juliette." He said as they closed their eyes and started talking in a different language that I couldn't understand. Suddenly, they extended their hands up in different hand signs and they brought their hands back towards their chests. In a few seconds, they pushed their hands towards me and a huge wave of power came at me like a gush of wind. It knocked me off my feet and I went flying into the pentagon. But my body wouldn't fall to the ground and the pressure just kept coming at me. I gasped in pain and the pressure became more intense.

Suddenly, something dark started to come out of my right shoulder. The black magic. It was starting to leave me! As more pressure came against me, the dark substance from my shoulder was evaporating even more, but it was painful. I tried painfully to look over to the black substance and I could see my scar reopening, although no blood was spilling. A miracle. A few seconds passed and the pressure was excruciating. But after a while, the dark substance was evaporating completely and my scar was closing up again. Incredible.

In one moment, the pressure was lifted and my body fell to the ground. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the wall. It felt good to have the pressure lifted off of me, and also I felt lighter, almost as if all of this pressure was lifted off of me and I had just lost ten pounds. I opened my eyes and looked at my shoulder—which thankfully, I decided to wear a tank top and some jeans. My shoulder had an inch long scar but it wasn't hurting anymore. Thank god!

"Is it really gone?" I asked as I started to get up slowly.

"Yes. The black magic in you has been reduced to nothing." Altor said.

"Awesome!" I said with so much joy into it. Afterwards, I remembered where I was and reformed myself. "Um… I mean, that's good news."

"No it's alright Juliette. You're allowed to show your happiness." Evarak said with a smile.

"But, as a sign of generosity from us Elves, we have given you something in return…" Herak said.

"And what might that be?" Now, he got my attention.

"We have replaced your black magic with something useful for you. Try to visualize a shield around you." Keltor said with a smile.

"What?" I asked dumbfounded. What was he talking about?

"Just trust us! And keep your eyes open." Laya said.

"Um… alright." I said as I tried to visualize a shield around me.

It was weird. I tried to visualize an invisible wall in front of me and the weird thing was that I could _feel_ something around me. Evarak started to walk towards me and he was suddenly stopped and my head started to hurt. When he stopped, there was something invisible that shone in front of him. It was incredible! That was the wall I tried to vision in front of me.

"No way! You guys gave me a power?!" I asked, overcome by joy.

"The power of protection, to be exact." Herak said.

"But why?" I asked. "I mean, it's not that I'm ungrateful or anything. It's just… why me?"

"Well, I did misjudge you when I first saw you." Evarak said.

"We all thought you were like any other human. Greedy and selfish." Herak said.

"But you _could _say I'm selfish, in a way. I only think of myself at times, not of those around me." I explained.

"That might be true, but every human is that way. But we thought you were more than any other human." Keltor said.

"We thought you wanted more from us, not just help. We should have given you more credit than that." Altor said. I guess those two always speak one after the other. They seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

"Which is why we decided to give you this." Evarak said as he went up to me and poked my head.

"Well, thank you… I really appreciate it." I said with a smile.

"If you need anything from us anytime soon, don't be afraid to ask us. We'll be more than willing to help you." Herak said.

"Thank you very much." I said as I bowed. "But I'm sure my family must be waiting for me."

"Don't want to keep them waiting I see?" Laya said.

"Not with what happened yesterday, that's for sure." I said with a smile. "Thank you very much." I started waving at them as I left. "I owe all of you big time!"

When I arrived minutes later in front of my door, I took a deep breath and opened the door. The Cullens all stared at me.

"And?" Emmett asked.

"It's gone." I said as I closed the door behind me with a smile. "This whole magic thing's over with."

"Thank goodness!" Esme said as Edward came up to me and kissed me on the lips.

"But you have to show us your new power!" Alice said as she jumped around happily. She was such a pixie.

"Alice!" I said.

"What power?" Rosalie asked.

"Well, the Elves thought that they should give me something in return for the way they kinda acted. So, they gave me a little power, if you can call it like that." I explained.

"Well, show us!" Carlisle insisted.

"Yes, please grace us with your new ability." Frederic said as he came into the picture. Wow, he's really sneaky.

"Frederic, I didn't even see you there." I said shocked.

"Stop changing the subject!" Alice said with a smile.

"Alright, alright! Just give me a sec." I said as I visualized the invisible wall again, just like the Elves said. Once I visualized it, I could feel the energy roaming around me and Edward. Edward started looking around him and I think he could feel something weird as well. "Alright, someone step towards us. How about Emmett?" I said teasingly.

"Alright!" He said with his childish smile. He got up with a jump and started to walk towards us. Then, he was abruptly stopped and my head hurt again so I winced slightly. Emmett started shaking his head dizzily and asked: "What the heck was that?!"

"The power of protection." Carlisle said.

"Nice!" Rose exclaimed with joy.

"Thanks, although it still hurts a little." I said as I rubbed my head.

"It will leave with the practice." Frederic explained.

"I'm sure that if we help you practice that new power of yours, we can accomplish a lot." Carlisle explained.

"Thanks." I said with a smile.

"Now, how about some relaxing time? It's about time that we did something alone." Edward said with that dazzling smile of his.

"You really want to do _that_?" I asked confusingly. I hoped that he wasn't planning on having sex at this moment. I thought that we could have it just a few months before the wedding. I turned my wedding ring in my finger as I looked at Edward.

"Not yet love. But how about a walk? For now?" He asked.

"Sounds like a good idea." I said as we walked out of the room holding hands. Today started out bad but finished wonderfully. I thought that this day would never end and with my new power of protection, I could protect the ones I loved even more. This was perfect…

**Alright, so Jules has some new powers. FUN!!! And now, let's see what happens!!! Will there be consequences? REVIEW TO FIND OUT!!!**

**Bellacullenswan17**

12


	21. The hunter returns

**READ AND REVIEW MY PETS!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 21

The hunter returns

The walk with Edward was nice and relaxing. We walked along the shoreline hand in hand and we passed right by a cliff close to the water. It was quite the walk up the cliff but it was good exercise. We took a few hours off to relax with the walk and talk a little but a few moments before we entered the castle, Emmett came to us right outside the castle, saying that he needed to talk to Edward alone but I didn't know where, which technically wasn't any of my business. I decided to start walking back to my room when suddenly, I started hearing some voices. I could recognize them easily.

It was Emmett's voice. But it didn't sound like his normal childish voice. He sounded more… serious and sad. "Dude, if you're going to keep her human, then she's going to hurt one of us soon." My eyes opened widely. I couldn't believe Emmett would say something like this and I knew they were talking about me, since I was human. Although it was true, it was still hard to hear something this hurtful, especially from _Emmett_.

"Emmett, why would you even bring it up? You know how much she means to me the way she is." Edward replied. I placed my ear closer to the wall—since the door was open, I didn't want them to hear me and since Edward couldn't read my mind, I could eavesdrop on them easily—and kept listening to their conversation.

"Dude, don't get me wrong. I love Jules and she means everything to all of us but… I don't know dude, you're going to have to do something about it or one of us will get killed soon." Is that really what he thought of me? Was I really putting his family in that much danger? I didn't know what to do so, I walked away from the wall and when it was safe enough for e to not be heard, I ran for the woods. The woods right now felt like the best place to get away from most of the real world. The woods were a quiet place to think and to be alone.

When I entered the woods crying, I started whipping these stupid tears out of my eyes and started walking slowly. Why would I stay anywhere near them if I was that big a threat to them? The only thing—maybe—that I could do was to pack up and try to ask Evarak to get some sort of transportation back to Olympia. But I had to go without being caught by Alice or Edward. I knew that if I had Frederic's ring, I could get unnoticed by Alice's visions. It was a good thing that I kept the ring in my pocket at all time. These days, you couldn't tell what would happen next. I took the ring out of my pocket and slid I on my index finger. Now I was safe for a while. I started walking towards the cliff Edward and I passed just a few hours ago—wow… It felt like an eternity passed already—and decided to stop there for a while.

When I sat at the edge of the cliff, I looked at the sea. It was so big and endless. Minutes, maybe even hours, passed as I stared out at the endless ocean when I could hear someone calling my name. It was soft and soothing but not angelic. It couldn't be Edward. I looked towards my left and saw that someone with long curly red hair was walking and shouting my name. It was Esme.

When she saw me, she seemed relieved. I turned back to the ocean as she came closer to me. "There you are. What are you doing out here all alone?" She asked as she came closer.

"Thinking." I replied.

"Well, we might want to head back to the castle. Alice is getting worried. She says she can't see you in her visions." She said as she sat down next to me on the edge of the cliff.

"And with good reasons." I said as I lifted my hand at the level of my head to show the ring on my finger. Esme seemed disappointed by what she saw.

"Now, why would you want to wear that?"

"To escape."

"What are you talking about? Why would you want to escape?"

"Don't try to hide the fact, Esme. I don't know if you talked to Emmett too but he talked to Edward, that's for sure." I said as I looked at her beautiful face.

"Jules, you lost me. What did Emmett say exactly?" She asked softly as she placed her hand on my arm.

"When Edward and I came back to the castle after our walk, Emmett came to see us and he was saying that he needed to talk to Edward alone. He left with him and I decided to head back to my room to relax a little. When I went towards my room, I overheard a few people talking and I could recognize Emmett's voice. I went up against the wall and started listening." I started saying.

"Wait, you were eavesdropping?" She asked sarcastically.

"Oh, it's not like you guys don't do it with us! Anyways, when I was eavesdropping, I heard Emmett tell Edward that if he wanted to keep me human, that I would be hurting one of you soon. And he tried to make Edward understand that as long as I was human, I would be risking you guys. So, I decided to put the ring on and thought of ways to go back home without Alice or Edward figuring me out and stopping me." I explained.

"Are you sure he was talking about you?"

"Well, he said "If you want to keep her human", so I think he's talking about me."

"Well, Emmett's wrong." Esme tried to say.

"No, he's not. This might sound selfish but, I want to be with Edward, but not at the cost of someone's life. And especially not any of you guys. You're all too special to me." I said as I started to get up and head towards the castle. Esme got up as well and followed me.

She caught my arm and made me stop walking. I turned around and she was smiling at me. "Jules, you can't think that. And you can't think that what Emmett said was reasonable. You know he loves you like crazy." She said as she brought me in a hug. Esme was so adorable that it was hard to ever stay mad for a certain period of time.

"I know but if he's crazy about me, then why would he bring such a subject in a conversation?" I asked; her arms still around me.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it. He was probably just upset about something and took it out on Edward. I'll talk to Edward and Emmett and try to get things arranged. Don't worry Jules." She said as we separated from the hug and she looked me right in the eyes.

"Easier said than done." I said as we started walking away. As we walked, I started to feel more relaxed. Maybe Esme gave off a certain calm vibe, like Jasper does when he uses his power. When I looked at her, I suddenly felt a sting on my neck. "Ouch." I said as I put my hand to the spot where the sting appeared and felt something poking at my neck. Suddenly, I started to feel extremely tired and dizzy all at once.

"Jules? Jules, what's wrong?" Esme tried to ask but to me, it was faint questions. I could hardly see anything anymore but my hearing was slight. Every sound around me was very faint.

"Esme…" I said before collapsing but someone with cold strong arms caught me.

"Jules! Jules, are you alright?! Jules, answer me! Come on, Jules!" Esme tried to say.

"Well, my prey has been trapped. Nothing more but to bring her back with me." A manly voice said. It didn't sound familiar to me. Who was he? And what was he talking about, his _pray_?

"Who are you?" Esme asked as she brought me in her arms. But this was all too weird. Why did he trap me? And what does he want with me?

"You don't know me but I know all about you, Esme. And your family. Especially one of them." The man said.

"How do you know me? And what do you mean?" Now, Esme's voice sounded more venomous than before. I don't think I ever heard her this angry before.

"Enough formalities. I need to take Juliette now. So, if you could easily give her to me without any trouble, I'll be on my way." The man said. He sounded calm.

"You'll have to get her from my dead cold arms." She said, trying to put as much hatred into her words as possible.

"If you say so…" He said. I could feel Esme shift positions and was ready to fight this man. Suddenly, I felt her move fast and tried to dodge many hits. At one point, she twitched and I was dropped on the ground painfully. I guess the man got to her. Another pair of strong cold arms grabbed me and started running. This wasn't Esme holding me. It was the man and he wasn't holding me lightly. It was painful. He pinched a part of my shoulders he kept running and it was extremely painful. I gasped in pain and then, everything went still and black.

When my eyes fluttered open many moments later, I was on a soft surface. I moved my head around slowly to find that I was in a bedroom with white walls and two windows. I was lying on a bed. I tried to put my hand to my forehead but it never left my side. I lifted my head slightly but somehow, my neck was chained to the back wall. I looked at my hands and feet and they were locked to the bed. I tried to break out of it but it didn't work.

"You won't be able to get out of your bounds." The manly voice said. I turned my head to find a tall man wearing a white shirt and black jeans standing in the doorframe. He had long blond hair tied up in a pony tail at the bottom of his head and a pale face. But what really came at me were his eyes. They were crimson red. He was a vampire, and certainly not one who drank animal blood.

"Where am I?" I asked, adding a little anger to my vice as he approached me.

"In my little house on the prairie. You like it?" He asked as he made a little three-sixty turn around with his arms extended and showed me the plain room. It reminded me so much of Gus's room in my nightmare when I was in my "coma".

"No. In fact, it's a little too plain for my taste. Now, untie me!" I said as I started moving around and tried to remove the chains from my neck, wrists and ankles but it didn't work.

"Highly unlikely. You see, you're now my little prisoner and as long as you stay still and keep quiet, we won't have any problems. Got it?" He said as he was right beside the bed, maybe just inches from me.

"What are you?" I asked dumbly. I already knew the answer to that but I just wanted to hear it from his mouth.

"Wow… You expect someone who lives with vampires to be able to recognize one from far away. But yes, I am a vampire but I'm very different from your vampire friends." He explained with a touch of bad humor.

"I kinda figured that part out already, thank you very much." I replied back with a sour note to my voice.

"Oh yeah, little miss smarty pants? Then tell me. What's different about me than your friends?" The man said as he dug his fingers into my shoulder and put pressure on it.

It was painful but I wasn't going to _anyone_ the satisfaction of screaming. I put on a pained face and said a little louder than expected: "You drink human blood!"

"Well, you know quite a lot about vampires, don't you?" He asked as he took his hand off of my shoulder.

"What'd you do to Esme?" I asked angrily.

"Your little woman friend? I disabled her for a few seconds so I could get a hold on you. And it worked perfectly." He said as he went to sit down on the chair in the corner of the room.

"Who are you?"

"Oh, I completely forgot the introductions Juliette. My name is James."

**Oh no!!! James is in here? And what does he want with Jules? Find out with REVIEWS!!!**

**Bellacullenswan17**

7


	22. Blood captive

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 22

Blood captive

"You're the hunter who's after Alice…" This couldn't be happening. I didn't think that this hunter would be back and would be getting _me_.

"Bingo. We have a winner. Now, the only reason why I got you here was for payback. And besides, now that I have you, Mary will be coming in a hurry. Who knows, she might even bring her family along." He explained.

"She won't come. She doesn't know what's happened to me. She can't see my future. I still have the ring on my finger." I said as I tried to spin the ring around my finger but it wasn't there anymore. The only ring on my fingers was my engagement ring.

"Oh, you mean _this_ ring?" He said as he showed me the Kirnyka in his hands. "If you don't mind, I took it off of you. I want her to know about this. I want her to be lured in my beautiful trap… and you're in the center."

"What are you going to do to me?" Ok, now I was getting scared. What was he planning on doing with me?

"You see, all of my prisoners have a very strong scent that attracts me to them. You attracted me from a mile away. And when I bring my pray back home with me, I feed on them." He said with a sickening smile as he got up.

"You're… you're going… to kill me?"

"Oh no my dear… I can't kill you. I need you alive for Mary. No, when I feed, I leave some blood in the system and feed everyday on my victim. And for the next few days, you're my victim. You see, since I don't place venom in my victim's system, I can feed on them whenever I want." Oh god… this guy was nuts! Did he actually want to take blood from me? This could _not_ be happening to me… But then again, now I could protect myself easier, even if my head would hurt afterwards.

"You're nuts." I said with a sour tone, trying to distract him as I visualized the invisible wall around me.

"I'll take that as a compliment. Now, I'm starting to get hungry. Let's get this started. If you don't struggle, it won't hurt as much." He said as he started to lean towards me but got hurt by the shield. I winced in pain but he seemed to notice. "Oh, does it hurt when I do this?" He asked sarcastically as he pressed his hand on the shield and it hurt immensely. I stopped the shield and his hand passed right through. "I'll take that as a yes."

"You're a monster."

"Alright, enough compliments. Let's start." He said as he leaned into my left shoulder and locked his strong cold hands on my left arm and right shoulder. "Don't try to move too much." He said before he bit into my shoulder. It hurt quite a bit when he bit down but the pain intensified when the blood was sucked out of me. He kept sucking and I felt myself starting to weaken every second.

As he kept sucking, my vision started to fade slowly. My hearing was getting worse and almost all my senses were shutting down. This was bad.

Suddenly, the pain stopped and James started removing his head from my shoulder. It was unbelievable how weak I felt right now. I could hardly even move or talk. My head titled to the left side as James put something on the bite mark. It was a white square patch and it was transferring something into me. What was he putting in me?

"Man that was delicious. You have no idea how powerful I feel now. But this patch should help your blood run faster so I can feed on you again tomorrow. But you'll also need this." He said as he titled my head so I would face the ceiling and put an oxygen mask on my face. He also made an IV needle in my hand and I could feel oxygen on my face. It felt good but my body was extremely weak at the moment.

"You…" I tried to say but I came out as a very low whisper.

"Don't try and talk. I need your strength for tomorrow. Now, I'm going to leave but rest. I'll be back tomorrow." He said as he left the room and shut the door behind him. I just wished that any of the Cullens would come and save me. But this was selfish. James wanted Alice badly and he was using me to get to her. I couldn't let that happen. I tried my best to imagine something that would tell Alice not to come. It took most of my efforts to do so but I did. Now, I just had to let the days pass… It would be long and painful but I closed my eyes and let the weakness envelop me. I just hoped Alice would get the message.

Six days passed and James fed everyday on my blood. It wasn't as painful as the first time but I was getting weaker. On the sixth day, he fed slightly but it was enough to make him strong. On the second day, he moved to my upper left arm and kept getting lower on my arm each day. But the sixth day, he moved to the palm of my hand. He changed the IV needle from my left and inserted it in my right hand so that he could take blood from me. After he fed, I closed my eyes and let my head tilt to the left. He gave me food and drinks when I needed it at least. I couldn't complain whatsoever so, I let him continue.

He bandaged the bite marks as they bled in the tape. At least he was taking care of his prisoner, that's for sure. Suddenly, I heard slight footsteps approach the door. Was James planning on feeding twice in the same day? I couldn't take it if my blood was sucked one more time today. My body was already giving out on me that it was surprising I survived this long. Suddenly, I heard the door open and someone gasped. Who could that be? I tried to open my eyes but they were too heavy. "Jules!" I heard a sweet pixie voice say. Oh no… Alice. Why was she here?! Didn't she get my vision?! I never wanted her to be a part of this!

"Jules! Come on Jules! Please wake up. Please!" Alice said between dry sobs. This shouldn't happen like this.

"She's not dead… yet." I heard James say.

"James…" Alice said. I tried to open my eyes just slightly but it took most of my energy to open them just a crack. My vision was blurry but it was enough to see Alice and James. Alice had her back to me and was looking James right in the face.

"Nice to see you again, Mary. It's been a while." James said.

"What have you done to her?!" Alice asked between her sobs. "She's hardly moving or breathing!"

"I guess that's what happens when you have been drained."

"Drained of what?" Alice asked.

I had to get a word into this. I couldn't let this go on. They would be at each other's throats soon if I didn't step in. I closed my eyes to recover some strength to say something and surprisingly, it happened. "Al—ice…" I tried to say. She heard me.

"Jules! Thank god." Alice's voice was distant but it was clear. I could feel her cold hand on my cheek but it didn't seem as cold as it once was. But none of those feelings mattered… I had to get her out of here.

"Ali—ce…" I tried to say.

"Don't talk. Keep your strength." She said as she started to feel around me.

"You… got to… get out…" I tried to say but it came out gargled.

"You bet I'm getting out. But I'm taking you with me." She said as she started to unlock the chain around my neck. But suddenly, when she unlocked it and it fell to the side, I felt a slight soft chilly hand on my neck.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you. We wouldn't want her to stop breathing, would we?" I heard James say.

"Let her go!" Alice said loudly.

"I don't think so Mary. You see, this girl is my prisoner. Her blood is extraordinary and I do _not_ plan on giving her up to _anyone_. And especially not by the likes of you." He explained.

"You drank her _blood_?! You monster!"

"Everyone keeps giving me compliments these days. It's thoughtful. Thanks." James said with joy in his voice.

"Let go of my girl!" I heard an angelic voice say. I recognized it… It was familiar to me… Now I know! It was Edward's voice! He came along with Alice… Oh no… He was going to get hurt also. Suddenly, the slight chilly hand on my neck was removed and I felt many pairs of hands take the chains off of my ankles and wrists.

"Jules? Jules, can you hear me? Jules!" A soft voice was calling out to me. It was Esme. Were all the Cullens here?

"She's not responding right. Her skin is extremely pale and cold." A serious manly voice said. Carlisle.

"Get your hands off of me!" James said roughly. I felt someone put their fingers on my neck.

"Her pulse is low and unsteady." Esme said.

"Is she going to be alright?" A female voice said. It wasn't Esme's or Alice's. It was probably Rosalie. My senses were shutting down slowly and I could slightly feel my surroundings.

"I think so… If we hurry and get her to a healer's." Carlisle said.

"What's this?" I felt someone touch the patch on my shoulder.

Someone started lifting the patch and I could hear faint gasping. "Oh god…" Carlisle said in shock. What was happening? I tried desperately to open my eyes but it was a faint effort.

"Carlisle, what's wrong?" Esme asked.

"He bit her… And worse of all, he transferred Angel's blood into the wound." Carlisle explained. I heard gasping around me. Someone was softly petting my hair as I started to smell gasoline.

"Guys, we're almost ready putting this sadistic in the fire. Can we move her?" I heard Emmett's childish voice.

"Is it _safe_ to move her?" Alice asked.

"With the Angel's blood in her, I… I don't know. It's hard to tell. How many times did you bite her?" Esme asked.

"Count the bandages and you'll figure it out, genius." I heard James's sadistic voice say.

"Six times… You sadistic monster! She's only human!" Alice said loudly. I needed to see this. I forced my eyes open with all the power I had and my eyes fluttered slightly open. When I opened my eyes, I saw many blurry people. One of them was James. He was being held by a blurry Edward and fuzzy Jasper. There was an orange light in the background slowly growing behind James.

"My job has been done. My superiors will take over from here." James said.

"You're going to pay… This is for my fiancé!" I heard Edward say as I saw him rip apart James painfully with Jasper throwing James's remains in the fire.

"We have to move her." Rosalie said.

"But how can we without hurting her?" Emmett asked.

"She's extremely weak. Any sudden movement would result in a weakened state." I heard a soft manly voice say. It was Jasper.

"Then what _can_ we do?" Rose said with an impatient voice.

"The oxygen mask should help her and the IV should give her some energy. But it's not enough." I heard Carlisle say faintly.

"Can we carry her?" That was my angel's voice.

"I think so. But we can't run if we carry her." Esme said.

"But it'll take days before we can get back to the castle!" Emmett's childish voice rang in my head. I was starting to lose my sight so; I closed my eyes and tried to focus all of my strength on keeping my hearing. Someone was taking the IV needle out of my right hand and took the oxygen mask off.

"Emmett, what choice do we have?! I'm not going to leave her here!" Edward's angelic voice said as I felt slightly cold arms slide under my back and knees, then brought me up to his chest. My limp body was as light as a feather in Edward's arms. "She's almost my temperature. This isn't normal."

"Her body is giving out on her. She needs a healer." Esme said.

"Where's Frederic when you need him…?" Carlisle asked lowly.

"Well, now's not the time to think about that. We got to get a move on. The place is already crawling with smoke." Rose said. I could feel a little wind coming around me as we went out of the smoked house. We were outside and something wet was dripping on me. It was raining outside.

"Ok… we have no choice. We can't stand in the rain. We're going to have to run to the nearest cave or village. A cave sounds better than a village right about now." Alice explained. "The nearest village is miles away. It'll take hours." Did James live _that far_ from the castle?

"Then what will happen to Jules?" Edward asked.

"Let's worry about that later! We have to get out of this rain." Suddenly, I felt the wind getting stronger around me and the rain pouring harder on my skin. Edward held onto me strongly as we ran at vampire speed until we stopped abruptly and the rain stopped. Were we somewhere safe from the rain?

"This should be good for now. How is she?" Rosalie asked.

"Her temperature's rising too fast. She's starting to sweat." Edward said as someone placed a now cold hand on my forehead.

"She's burning up. She's getting a fever. Edward, put her on the ground. She'll get colder there." I could feel something trickling down my neck and I figured it was sweat. I felt someone lower me to the cold hard surface and place my head on a leaning rock.

"What can we do?" Alice asked worriedly.

"All that we can do is try to make her fever drop until this weather changes. Let's get something cold on her forehead to drop the sweating." Esme said as someone placed a long cloth on my body. "All that we have to do is make her better."

"Ed—ward…" I said with the strength that was left inside me, which wasn't much if you ask me.

"I'm here love. I'm here." Edward said as someone softly placed their cold hand on my warm cheek.

"Stay… pl—ease…" I tried to say. My strength was fading and my senses were shutting for good.

"I always will. Just rest love. Get your strength back, for me." Edward said. I followed his order and started to let myself be carried into my ever fading weakness. In no time flat, my senses shut down and darkness flowed around me, and I was placed into a long and painful nightmare.

**Alright, so what did you think? REVIEW PLEASE!!! **

**Bellacullenswan17**

8


	23. A talk with Death

**Same as usual, READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 23

A talk with Death

_I was brought into a set of dangerous nightmares. The first one was of Vancouver… again. Edward sucking my blood and Death taking me. The second one was when I was in my coma and Gus was persuading me that I was his girlfriend. The worse part about that nightmare was that Edward never could remember me and even with a kiss, there was nothing. _

_The next was when Gus took control of me. The Cullens did nothing to help me. They looked at him and welcomed him into the family. They never tried to get me back and I slowly faded into nothing. The last one was recent. James had taken me prisoner and I was chained to the bed. He came slowly towards me and he bit down on my shoulder, but when the pain started to worsen, it wasn't James biting into my shoulder. It was Edward. He kept sucking on my blood and he never stopped. "Ed—ward… stop…" I tried to say but he wouldn't. He just kept sucking. And Death came to get me, once again. "No… not… yet…" And that was the end for me._

I woke up with a start. I was sweating and something fell on my lap. My head turned down to my lap and I saw a black cloak on my legs with a black wet cloth on it.

"What the…?" I asked as I grabbed the still wet cloth and brought it leveled to my head. I noticed that the cloth was shaking. A cloth couldn't shake… I looked at my hand and it was shaking. I looked around the place and no one was here. But I was in a cave, a very large and dark cave. And I was lying on the hard ground with a rock right behind me, probably for a head support.

"Dang it… They had to rescue me. Again!" I said angrily as I threw the wet cloth across the cave and put my shaking hands at my head.

"As I said before, you would rather have those around you that you love killed other than kill yourself." A deep voice said from in front of me. I brought my head up a little and found myself staring straight at the Angel of Death.

"Look, I don't need you right now! I've got my own problems now!" I screamed at him. I didn't care if he would take me away right now. I didn't care about anything right now.

"Is it just me, or you don't take my advice?" Death said as he came closer to me.

"Oh, you finally decided to use shorter words! I'm flattered you took my advice." I said as I started to get up slowly but unsteadily. I wobbled from my stance and was grateful the wall was close to me. I placed my hand on the wall to steady myself and tried to vision Death carefully.

"Are you still feeling unsteady? After days of resting, you still feel this way. I'm surprised."

"Days? How long has it been since I've been like that?" I took a few steps towards him and he approached me slowly.

"Three and a half, to be precise." Death explained.

"God… and they had to take care of me all this time." I looked away. I never wanted this to happen. And it was getting worse since I found Edward.

"They never left your side. They didn't even go hunting, which is why they're not here."

"Great… Just great…" I said as I turned away from him and headed towards a wall of the cave.

"I wonder how it must feel to have… such a big family around that has to protect you twenty-four-seven." Death said as he followed me.

"I can't keep doing this anymore." I said as I placed my hands on my face.

"Please explain. I'm not following you." He said with a sarcastic tone.

I turned abruptly to look Death straight in his dark eyes. "Oh, you know _exactly_ what I mean! I can't be a part of their lives anymore! I've already caused enough damage. And they'll just keep getting hurt if I stay with them. I love all of them too much that… I have to leave them." I said as I rubbed my sweaty forehead. I still had a slight fever.

"Now _that's_ thinking with your head! Even though it's still a little fragile right now. But if you do decide to leave, I'd suggest cover your wounds up." He said as he touched the wound on my left shoulder and my wounds on my left arm. I had to admit that he was right. If I went anywhere, then I would have to hide them. There would be too many questions if anyone knew.

"Well, I don't have any clothes now! What am I going to do?"

"Well, first of all, it's too far for you to go _anywhere_ in your condition. And second, you'll need my help in this… escape of yours." He said with a grin.

"Why would I need _your_ help? You've been trying to take my soul away for months."

"Because unless I help you, you're stuck with the Cullens, letting them meet their fate early." Death said as he crossed his arms and straightened his body, making me look above to him.

"What's in it for you?" I asked as I crossed my arms myself.

"Nothing big… I have my plans for the future. And your future still looks eerie." He said with a sinister smile on his grim face.

"Fine. I'll trust you... for now." I gave into his gesture. I never wanted to put my fate in the hands of… the Angel of Death but, I had no choice. If I wanted to make a clean getaway from the Cullen family, it was going to be hard. I needed all the help I needed. "But how can I escape when Alice will figure it all out in her visions?"

"I think this belongs to you." He said as a beautiful ring appeared in a puff of black smoke in his hand. It was the Kirnyka.

"How did you get this?" I asked as he handed me the ring and I rapidly put in on my index right finger.

"Sometimes, you get rewards when you take a soul away. James willingly gave me this. He thought you would never get it back." He explained.

"Jules?!" I heard an angelic voice say from far away. I turned my head towards the voice and found Edward and his family staring straight at the entrance of the cave. It was cloudy outside but it was a fine weather for the Cullens to go hunting.

"Oh god… Get me out of here! NOW!" I pleaded. I didn't know if it would be enough to get me away from here but it seemed to be enough to please him.

"Alright. Where do you want to go?" He said as the Cullens ran towards me at vampire speed.

"My mom's." I whispered. I knew that the Cullens couldn't hear me. They were too far from me and they were running. All the sounds around them would block it out.

"Alright. Hold on tight." He said as Edward was close enough to touch me but I was already evaporating into black smoke.

"JULES!" Edward screamed.

"I'm sorry. But it's for the best." I said before evaporating completely and leaving the Cullens in the cave. When we evaporated, I was in a black cloud. But in an instant, I was at my mother's doorstep, with all my luggage on my left and Death standing on my right side.

"Here we are. Your mother's house."

"Is there any way they knew where I was going?" I asked as I looked at him with a fuzzy vision.

"They are trying to figure that out right now. But don't worry. I'll spin them in the wrong direction." Death said as he looked out at the gloomy sky.

"I never thought I would say this to _you_, but… thanks for your help."

"I'll be back to collect." He said before evaporating into the air in a puff of black smoke that showed a skull in the middle of the smoke.

When he was gone, I noticed that every part of my room at the Cullens was sitting at my feet. My guitar, my luggage, my computer in its case. This was impressive. It really looked like I was never a part of the Cullens' life. But there was still a part of them that I could never part without… My engagement ring. This was a promise to Edward that I would marry him. Even though that would probably never happen now, I would still remember him.

I rang the doorbell to my mother's large house and waited a few seconds. I could feel the heat radiating off of me but that was normal. I still had the slight fever and it wasn't getting any better. I needed help. I waited just a few more seconds and when the door never opened, I was about to ring the doorbell once again when suddenly, the door opened. Lou, my mother's new husband, opened the door and was shocked to find me on the doorstep.

"Jules! I wasn't expecting you. What's up?" He asked as he leaned on the doorway.

"Nothing much Lou. Um… is my mother home?" I asked as I looked passed him.

"Sure. Chanel!" He screamed in the house. "Your daughter's here to see you."

I could see my mother come out of the kitchen but never looked up. "Did you just say that my daughter…" She trailed off as she saw me on the front porch. "Jules!" She exclaimed happily.

"Hey mom." I said with a weak smile.

"Oh, I'm so glad to see you! What are you doing in Seattle?" Mom asked as she came and gave me a hug that could last hours.

"Just came to visit you…" I lied.

She separated from the hug with a worried look plastered on her face. "Jules, you're warm." She said as she put her hand to my forehead. I closed my eyes when she put her hand on my forehead and tried to calm my slight fever. "Are you starting to get a fever?"

"I think so… But I had a question to ask you." I asked as she removed her hand and looked around me.

"Would it have something to do with your luggage?" Lou asked sarcastically as he pointed to my luggage. He was still leaning on the doorframe.

"Um… yeah. Sorta. I was wondering if I could stay with you guys for a while. Henry won't let me inside the house." I asked with the hardest face I could come up with.

"Of course sweetheart! You can stay as log as you want! You've still got your room upstairs, if you want it. Come on honey, help me with her luggage." Mom said to Lou as she tried to bring a few of my luggage in the house and started bringing them up the stairs. Lou brought most of my luggage and I brought my laptop case and guitar. But as I started to come up the stairs, I started to feel a little dizzy. I stopped and put my guitar down on the floor to place my hand on my burning head. Mom stopped in the stairway and looked at me.

"Jules? Are you alright?" Mom asked as she let go of my luggage and came running to hold me.

"Yeah… just got a little dizzy… I guess…" I said as I regained my fuzzy vision and looked Chanel straight in her blue eyes.

"Come on. I'll help you up. You need to go straight to bed." She said as she placed an arm around my waist and started bringing me up the stairs. I was starting to burn up slightly and Mom brought me to my room without any problems.

"Where do you want me to put her luggage?" Lou asked as he placed my luggage right beside the bathroom next to the wall. Mom made me go to bed straight away and Lou brought the rest of my luggage in my room. I missed my room. I missed my big bed and beautiful large and comfortable bathroom. I missed everything about this house.

"Just leave it there… I'll pick it up soon…" I said from my bed.

"Don't worry honey. I'll take care of it. You just rest. I'm so glad you're home." She said as she placed her hand on my cheek and gave me a loving smile. They put the rest of my luggage with the rest and took care of me for a long time. I was glad to be home.

I was on bed arrest for a day and a half but with my mother's help, I was out of bed and on my feet by the second day. Mom told me to stay in bed, rest and drink plenty of fluids. Sometimes, she brought me some homemade chicken noodle and I couldn't say no to that. Mom's homemade soup was to die for. Speaking of to die for, Death hadn't come to see me since he helped me run away from the Cullens. Even though I already missed them so much, I couldn't go back to them. Sometimes Lou would come and bring me some type of refreshment and he would see me upset. Although Lou was new to the family and didn't really know how to talk to a daughter, he knew when someone was down.

On the second day, I was relaxing on my bed and watching a little TV, computer in hand, when I suddenly got an email. Who would email me at this time? I didn't get one email during the summer, but then again I was away from my computer for months. I opened my account and found that I had seventeen unread emails. I checked through them and they were all from Sam or from Lizzy or Maggy. But the newest one was from Edward. I was afraid at first to open it but I knew that I had to face the music and read what he wrote. I opened the email slowly only to find many short paragraphs but a long email on the screen. It said:

**Jules**

**I know you're out there somewhere. If you weren't, I would feel it, at the bottom of my un-beating heart. Everyone feels this way. **

**Most of us have been looking at maps and trying to find you but with no luck. I don't exactly know why you don't want to be found but we won't stop looking for you.**

**We went back to the house to find your room empty. There wasn't even a speck of dust that could have led us to you. All I could think of was that my angel was gone and I couldn't find where she was. Everyone was devastated. Esme and Rose are sobbing over your departure and the rest of us are working extremely hard on finding you again. Alice can't even see your future. She's been trying for days to find you with no luck.**

**But the most devastating thing about your departure was the fact you left with the Angel of Death… We were all afraid he would take you away and we would never see you again. But I would have felt it. **

**I love you Juliette Elizabeth Shrike. And we will not stop searching for you. We will find you. Please come back to me. We love you.**

**Your love,**

**Edward**

I couldn't believe this… What was I supposed to write back to this, if I was to write back to him? He must have found some lead as to where I was but that would not mean much right now, but they were still trying. That's what counted. I closed my eyes and rubbed my eyes, trying to think of some way to get out of this whole mess. I turned my engagement ring in my left hand and opened my eyes. I was still wearing the Kirnyka on my right hand, which meant Alice still couldn't see my future. It would keep them occupied for a while.

But they were still trying everything they could to find me. They really never wanted me to go but it was for their best. I opened a new email and put in the address Edward took to send me an email. As I started to think of what to say, only one thing came to mind. It wasn't long but it would be clear to them that they shouldn't find me.

It will be as if I I'd never existed.

I hit the send button and closed my computer shortly after. I went to the bathroom and looked myself in the mirror. I looked worn out but also depressed. I missed Edward. I missed his angelic smile and I missed leaning his cold stony chest. I missed all of the Cullens. I looked at my eyes. They were empty. I didn't want to feel this bad but I was already missing my love. But there was something… off about my eyes. I placed my head closer to the mirror and saw that half of my eyes were tainted with a flaming color. My eyes were changing. And they were really freaking me out! But I couldn't change anything.

"What's happening to me?" I asked as I placed my left hand closer to my left eye. But when I lifted my hand, I saw that the bite scar on my hand had now become a glowing scar, whenever close to the light. And it was cold to the touch. I'm surprised Mom didn't see any changes in my appearance since I got here. And especially in my eyes.

"James…" He was the only one to blame in all of this! If he hadn't bit me so many times and drank my blood, this would have never happened. But worse of all, I have to blame myself. I'm not strong enough to protect myself anymore. Sure, karate would be sufficient against humans but I would break something if I tried to use it on a vampire. If I was strong enough, the Cullens wouldn't have to come and save me constantly. But I had to forget about them now. I went downstairs and tried to help Mom with supper. She willingly let me help her. I was always the better cook in the house but it was nice to be on my feet again.

Now, I just wished that the Cullens would get the hint that they shouldn't find me. I only hoped…

**Alright, once again, REVIEW!!!!**

**Bellacullenswan17**

10


	24. Complications

**Well, it seems like no one wants to read this story either. Ok, is it just me or my stories are getting worse and worse? I'm not trying to make them worse, swear!!! But please don't give up on me. Read and review please. **

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 24

Complications

As the days passed, it became a real difficulty to forget about Edward and all the Cullens. He never answered back to my email, maybe he got the message. I didn't want them to find me. I didn't want to cause them anymore pain. Maybe it was really selfish of me but… they would be better off if I wasn't a part of their life anymore. Mom didn't seem to mind when I asked her if I could stay longer. She was jumping with joy to know I would be staying longer with her. There was still a month of summer left until I would have to start school again. If I did decide to stay in Seattle, I would have to transfer to a new school.

It felt good to play the guitar again. I hadn't done it since I performed at _Dancer's corner_ but it felt nice to touch the cords again and feel the rhythm of the notes. I played a few songs from Paramore, Avril Lavigne—which was weird for me since I hadn't played one of her songs in years but I was bored at the moment—Marianas trench and many more. My fingers moved on their own across the cords and I was happy.

I helped Mom and Lou around the house most of the time, although Mom didn't want me to do anything while I was here. She was so happy that I decided to stay a while at the house that she wanted me to feel at home and just relax. These days, that seemed to be a big challenge.

One afternoon, as I started to read _City of Bones_, Mom came in the room with a dress in hand and a questioning look on her face. "What'd you think? Too much?" She asked as she showed me the beautiful blue dress with no straps and a lovely curvy ending to the dress. It reminded me too much of the dress Alice made me wear to go to the restaurant in the Elf city.

I tried to look away from the dress and say: "It's beautiful Mom. One of your new designs?"

"Yeah, I didn't know if the dress would be wearable or just too flashy. Could you try it on for me?" She asked with a pleading smile. I knew this was asking too much of me but I couldn't say no to a face like the one my mother was giving me. It was a guilt tripping look. She always used it on me when I was younger and it always worked.

"Um… Is it my size?" I tried to get out of the modeling but then again, Mom always worked around these kinds of troubles.

"Always is! I always like to have my daughter model my designs. Anyways, Lou isn't good at modeling. He always trips when he wears the heels." She added with a shrug. I couldn't help but laugh at that comment.

"You make your husband model your designs?" I asked with a laugh. "He must really love you to do _that_."

"Well, who else am I going to get to model my designs?"

"Well, there's always Mrs. Peters across the road. She looks about my size."

"No offence, but Mrs. Peters is starting to lose it. She looks to be over a hundred years old." That's my mother for you. She could never ask a person who isn't over fifty years old to model for her.

"Alright, I'll model." I said as I placed my bookmark at the right place in my book and got off the couch to go towards my mother. She looked ecstatic.

"Oh, you're the best." She said as she gave me the dress and pecked me on the cheek. She couldn't reach my forehead anymore since I'd outgrown her by a few inches. I was already pushing for six feet and she was still at five foot six inches. I rushed to the bathroom and got changed into the beautifully blue dress.

As I put it on, memories started to flood in. The first day I saw Edward in the cafeteria, surrounded by Alice, Rose, Jasper and Emmett. Then, the night of the dance arrived in a hurry. I could hear Edward say: "It finally feels good for someone to know the real me. And I really do like you. And I'll do everything I can so that you will be safe from our kind." And I couldn't help but smile.

As I started to zip up the dress in the back, other memories flooded in, but it wasn't sweet memories… I could picture perfectly the moment Edward, Alice and Rosalie came to save me back in Vancouver. When the scenery changed, I saw the moment Edward proposed to me in his bedroom. And the last scene that I saw was of Edward saving me from James with his family. When I finished putting on the dress, I looked in the mirror. The dress looked amazing. With my blue eyes, it looked sparkly but with the tint of flames in my eyes, it was scary. I went outside and Mom looked like she could almost cry. She placed her hand on her face and a few seconds later, she removed them and said: "You look wonderful! You look amazing, I'm a genius." She said as she put her hands in the air and went to sit on the sofa to look at me from far away.

"That, I can't deny." I said with a weak smile. It took a few seconds until Mom decided to talk again.

"Ok, tell me all about it." She said as she patted the couch lightly.

"What are you talking about?" I asked shyly as I started to go towards the couch and sat beside her.

"I'm talking about the fact that you've been quite… oh, what's the right word I'm looking for… depressed, these days." She explained. "Is something wrong?"

"No… why do you ask?"

"You can't hide things from your mother. What's wrong?"

"There's nothing wrong." I said firmly, although that was a big fat lie.

"You miss him, don't you?" She asked with a loving face. I looked her straight in the eyes and saw that she was right. I did miss Edward. I wanted him to hold me safely in his strong cold dead arms.

"Yeah…" I said as I caved. I knew that hiding things from my mother would end up in trouble, maybe even getting a talk.

"Then why don't you go see him?"

"Because I… I just can't. It's complicated…" I said as I looked away.

"Would it have something to do with the engagement ring?" Mom said. I turned my head abruptly. I couldn't believe that she figured out all of this ever since I got here. Although, it was about time she said something.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because every time I pass by your room, you're twirling the ring on your finger with longing in your eyes." She explained with love in her eyes.

"Since when did you know I was engaged?"

"Since the moment you walked through that door. Jules, I'm your mother. I'm supposed to know these kinds of things. I'd be crazy if I didn't see how much you missed him." She said with reasoning.

"And you don't mind me getting engaged at eighteen?" I would have thought that my mother would be very upset with me or extremely disappointed but on the contrary, she was… fine. Actually, she was more than fine. She was cool with it. Normally, she would strangle me right here and now for ever mentioning it or have done such a thing.

"Actually, I'm not very fond with the idea that you would get married so young." She said.

"Then why don't you stop me? Normally, you'd be against this whole thing."

"Yes, normally I would. But I see the way he looks at you. He loves you Jules. And you love him. And for that, I won't stop you. If you love each other as much as I love Lou, then I will gladly stand beside you one hundred percent all the way." She said with a smile.

"Thanks Mom, I—ah!" I said as a raging pain started to form at my temples. I put my hands to my temples and tried to take deep breaths to try to take away the pain. Nothing helped.

"Honey, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Mom asked but I could feel myself slip away from reality. I could see a fuzzy image in my mind. It showed a man with blond long hair and white wings with his back to me. I couldn't see his face but he was facing a burning building. Suddenly, the pain started to fade slightly but it just wouldn't go away.

"Yeah… I'm fine…" I said as I straightened up but the pain was still there.

"Do you have a headache?"

"I think so… I think I just need to lie down or something…" I said as I started to go up the stairs when the doorbell rang. I turned around to find my mother looking at me. "Do you want me to get that?" I asked when I was three quarters of the way up the stairs and ready to go to my room.

Mom shook her head and said: "No. I'll get it, don't worry about it. You go upstairs and rest." Mom said before another ring at the door. I went up the stairs and I could hear my mother's footsteps towards the door. I was halfway to my room when I heard Mom's voice. So, I decided to eavesdrop a little. "Hi there." She said in a happy voice. Who could she be talking to?

"Hello Mrs. Shrike. Might Jules be home?"

I knew that beautiful voice. Oh no… Edward. He found me. Oh god… I tried to run to my room but I was frozen in place.

"Actually, she's upstairs, resting." My mother explained. Why couldn't she just say no?

"Is she alright?" A sweet but hyper voice asked. Alice… Was everyone trying to find me?!

"Yes, she's fine. She just got a very painful headache and she went upstairs to try and rest." She explained.

"Could we possibly see her?" Another voice asked. It was childish but firm. Emmett… I had to get a move on and try to get out of here. I still had the Kirnyka so I would have the upper hand over Alice and my headache was diminishing fast. I forced my legs to walk and they led me to my room. I closed the door behind me and tried to find somewhere to hide. I looked around the room and only found a window and my big closet. I just thought of the perfect plan… I went up to the window and opened it. The wind was making my drapes flap so; I went to hide in the closet.

"Jules?" I heard Mom ask from the door as I was closing the closet door but kept it slightly open. The door to my room opened and I could hear Mom's questions. "Jules? Sweetheart? Are you in here?"

"I think she escaped." I heard a feminine but firm voice say. Rosalie… Suddenly, I could hear someone gasp.

"She might be somewhere in the house. Her window was already open, I think. I'm sorry you came all this way for nothing. Maybe you could try in a few hours, I could find her." I could hear Mom's voice with a slight disappointment.

"No, it's alright. Thank you very much, Mrs. Shrike but… We'll just be on our way." I heard a male but serious voice say. Carlisle. Alright, this was official… Every member of the Cullen family was here. And they were disappointed. All because they were on the right track to find me and I wasn't there… I could hear everyone leaving and when no sound could be heard, I stepped out of the closet.

I couldn't take the disappointments anymore so; I ran downstairs and tried to catch up to them. When I reached the staircase, they were just closing the door. I screamed for them to wait but they didn't hear me. Mom was looking at me with worry in her eyes but I ran out the house in a hurry. When I opened the door, I saw them going towards their cars. It was now or never to speak up.

"I heard you were looking for me." I said as Edward, Emmett, Carlisle and Rosalie were arguing while Esme, Alice and Jasper were trying to figure out their next location. When I spoke up, all of them turned around and looked at me dumbfounded. Esme put her hands up to her face in complete shock and Alice seemed to be happy to see me.

"Jules…" Edward said as he kept looking at me.

"Where the heck were you?! We looked and looked for you everywhere!" Alice said as she started to walk towards me with an extremely angry look.

"In the bedroom closet. For vampires, you're not very observant." I said as Alice came up to me and gave me a sinister look.

After a few seconds of looking at each other, Alice was looking at my eyes. When she decided to give up, she gave me a large hug and dry sobbed on my shoulders. "I'm just glad you're alright." She said into my shoulder. I hesitated on hugging her back but I still did it slightly. It was nice to hold my friends again, after all this time apart from them.

"Why were you hiding from us?" Edward asked lightly as Alice kept her hold on me.

"Ask your brother." I said as I looked at Emmett.

"What are you talking about?! What do I have to do with this?!" Emmett asked with an attitude.

"Oh, that's just great! You pretend like you said absolutely nothing!" I yelled as Alice separated from the hug and came to stand right by my side as I screamed at Emmett.

"Ok, I think being away from Edward has gotten you all messed up 'cause I didn't say anything!" Emmett said loudly as he approached me at the steps of the house.

"Guys…" Rosalie said as she approached the little crowd with Edward, Esme and Carlisle following them at a slow pace, even for them.

"Look, I don't know what you're trying to hide Emmett, but I heard you talking to Edward in the castle!" I said a little louder than expected.

He looked at me for a few seconds and then, he clicked. "Oh god…" He said with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"Yeah. Now you know why I left. You didn't have to take care of a weak human like me for many days. Now, didn't that feel good?" I asked with an edge of pain in my voice.

"Look, I didn't want you to overhear any of that. I was just—"

"Telling the truth?" I finished his sentence.

"No! That's not what I was going to say _at all_!" Emmett rebutted.

"Oh, don't play games with me, Emmett! I know you were telling the truth!" I said as all the Cullens went behind Emmett.

"And how do you know that?" Rosalie asked.

"Because ever since I met you guys, you've had to save me constantly! And just recently also! How shocking!" I said, adding a little sarcasm to my voice.

"Jules…" Alice tried to say.

"Look! Shouldn't _this_ give you enough proof that I shouldn't be around you guys?!" I said as I showed them my scar-covered left arm. "You guys were trying to take away my fever for three and a half days! You should have just stayed away like I tried to tell Alice!"

"You know I ignored that vision!" Alice pointed out roughly.

"Well, you shouldn't have!" I pointed out harshly.

"Jules, why are you acting like this?! This isn't like you at all!" Esme asked softly.

"And did you really think that when we saw you leave with the Angel of Death, we'd stop looking for you?!" Rosalie asked sharply.

"No, I figured you'd keep looking but I didn't want you to! I told you guys that it's for the best if I stayed out of your lives! But you don't seem to be paying attention." I added as I crossed my arms.

"Look, we love you. I don't see why you're acting like this right now! We want you back! How is that wrong?" Alice asked with her sweet voice.

"It's not wrong but you should have followed my warning! I didn't want any of you to come and get me because of two things. First, James was after Alice and I knew that she would come and get me. And second, I knew that if Alice went, you'd all follow, which is why I sent a vision out to Alice so that she wouldn't come!" I said with anger as I lifted my hands in the air in a show of outrage. Alice took my right hand roughly and brought it towards her, which made me take a step forward.

"No wonder I can't follow your trail! It would have been easier if you took it off!" Alice interjected as I pulled my hand back roughly.

"It worked, didn't it?" I said with a sarcastic smile.

Edward went through the crowd and looked me straight in the eyes. "Jules, I missed you. And I don't want to lose you." He said lovingly as he came up to me and took me in his strong cold arms. I was absolutely loving this embrace right now… but I couldn't keep this up.

"Edward…" I closed my eyes and tried to pull myself away from his cold hug.

"What's up with your eyes?" Rosalie asked me as she came towards me and pointed towards my eyes.

Edward returned towards his family and looked at me with confusion. A few seconds later, he understood what Rose meant. "You're right. There's something wrong with them." Edward said.

"What? You don't like my eyes now?" I asked.

"No, it's not that… It's just…" Edward tried to say.

"Frightening?" Alice asked.

"It must be the Angel's blood making its facade. It might make some changes to her appearance, and it's changing her eyes." Carlisle said as he started examining my eyes carefully.

I pushed his hands away softly and said with my eyes closed: "It's been like this for days. I don't see why it would keep changing now. And besides, I—" I started saying before the raging pain at my temples started again. I closed my eyes harder and doubled over with my hands clasped to my temples.

"Jules?! Are you alright?!" I heard Edward say before I started seeing an image again. I could see the man with blond hair and white feathered wings looking at the burning building. But this time, the image was clearer. The man turned his head slightly and I could see his right eye. His eye was an open flame. The flames in his pupils were moving and frightening. My eyes looked exactly like his, except mine was only half of my eye.

"All will be lost. Everything will change soon." The man said in a strong but velvety voice. It didn't sound angelic at all but it was amazing. Suddenly, a white flash made the image fade and the angel, along with the light, disappeared.

The pain was subsiding and I opened my eyes slowly. I straightened up and saw the Cullens looking at me worryingly. "Are you alright love?" Edward asked as he put his hand on my cheek like before.

"Yeah, I'm fine… Just a little headache…" I said as I took his hand in mine and took it off my cheek.

"Do you think it has to do with the Angel's blood?" Esme asked.

"There's a strong possibility that it is affecting her but I'd have to run some tests." Carlisle said as he put a cold hand on my temple and looked at my physical appearance. "The only thing that has changed is the fiery look in her flaming eyes. Half of her blue eyes are moving flames."

"It doesn't matter. I'm fine, see?" I said as I made a three sixty turn around to show them I was alright.

"You're more than fine. You're hot!" Emmett said as he looked at me carefully, but Rosalie looked at him with death glares. Edward hit Emmett in the stomach hard and Emmett doubled over.

"Don't you hit on my girl!" Edward warned. "Hit on your own mate!"

"And what am I?" Rosalie asked as she crossed her arms with grace and looked at Emmett with her evil look.

"Oh, you look hotter than any girl on this planet." Emmett said as he placed an arm around Rosalie's waist and brought her in a kiss.

"But please, I love you all so much that I don't you all to get hurt on my account at any time. So, you should probably go back to Olympia without me." I said as I went towards the door.

"Jules." Jasper said. I turned around with surprise written all over my face. It was the first time he had said something since they came here. "Don't leave us. I can see that all of us need you." He explained.

"You might need me but it's better for all of you if I stay away." I said with sorrow.

"Apparently, you need us too." Esme said as she looked at my hands. I turned my head in the same direction and saw that she was looking at my engagement ring. "You're still wearing it."

"She doesn't want to take it off." Alice said.

"It's still a symbol to both of us." Edward explained.

"I think this means that you can't stand being away from each other." Alice explained.

"I… I guess we can't…" I said hesitantly.

"I don't want to stay away from you, Jules. Please, please don't push me away." I turned around as Edward talked to me soothingly. I closed my eyes and leaned slightly over the door and I had to give in. This couldn't keep going.

"If you're going to keep persisting on trying to make me stay," I started saying as I turned towards them. "Then you'll have to endure the consequences that come along with them." I finished with a smile. Everyone seemed happy at the statement and Edward came running at me. He locked me in an embrace and didn't want to let me go. I laid against his chest and he kissed my head. I turned my head upwards and kissed him on the lips for a long time. It felt good to touch those lips again and I was stupid enough to never want them again.

I'm glad they still wanted me. I stopped kissing him for a second and looked at Emmett. "Do you still think I'm a threat to all of you?" I asked as I hugged Edward tighter.

"Not anymore." He said with a giant smile. Everyone smiled and they all came to hug me at once. We were all in one big group hug. I hoped things would never become this complicated again…

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**Bellacullenswan17**

12


	25. Goodbyes

**If my stories are horrible, please tell me. I feel horrible now and it seems as though no one wants to read these stories anymore. I'll give it one more shot on my stories but I hope to get reviews. I'm finishing this story and then putting up the sequel to this but please, give me some reviews. R&R!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 25

Goodbyes

The Cullens had just found me and they accepted that I come back with them to the Elf city to talk with Evarak about my… condition, if you could call it that. Now that Edward was back in my life, I was happy. I was whole. I invited the Cullens to come inside my house until I finished talking with my mother… about moving out. She was so happy that I was back home but… what if I was to tell her that I was moving back in with Edward and the other Cullens? How would she react? Well, she did say that she would be behind me one hundred percent, but then again, that was for the wedding… Oh god! Too many decisions!

Once the Cullens came in the house, I closed the door behind me and leaned against it. I closed my eyes and tried to relax. I felt a cold hand on my waist and I opened my eyes immediately. Edward was in front of me. "I'm so happy I found you again." He said as he leaned to kiss me on the forehead.

"Ditto." I said as he placed his cold marble forehead on mine and stayed there for a few seconds.

"What's there to worry about?" Edward asked as he looked into my freakish eyes.

"My mother…" I said as he brought me into a hug. At this moment, I couldn't be happier in Edward's arms. It felt nice to be with him again after all this time.

"She seems to be taking things well. She's starting to like Alice and Esme." Edward said as we went towards the kitchen, where everyone had stationed themselves. "Everyone seems to be getting along fine."

"I know… but she's so happy that I'm back home that I… I'm afraid of how she'll react." I said as we were at the door of the kitchen. Edward cupped his hands on my cheeks and made my head look towards the floor slightly. Suddenly, his head dropped down and he kissed me on the head. After the kiss, he placed his finger under my chin and lifted my head to face him straight in the eyes.

He gave me that dazzling smile and said: "Only one way to find out." He said in that angelic voice of his.

He opened the door and I saw everyone, the Cullens, my mother and Lou, around the diner table. "So, you guys moved around a lot?" Lou asked, leaning back with one arm behind his chair.

"You could say… we've seen the world." Carlisle said.

"But you'll be staying in Olympia for a little while, right?" Mom asked. I guess she wanted them to stay a little longer for my sake.

"Of course." Alice said in her peppy voice.

"Um… guys? Would it be alright if I talked to my mother for a minute?" I asked as everyone looked at me and Edward.

"Sure. Everyone." Carlisle said as all the Cullens, even Edward, got up and went out of the kitchen.

"Um… Lou? Why don't you go, um… entertain our guests in the living room?" Mom asked as she looked at Lou with a loving smile and petted his arm. He seemed to be giving into my mother's persuasion and looked at her with a loving look.

"Sure honey." Lou said as he went out of the kitchen to give the Cullens some company.

"So, what's up sweetie?" Mom asked softly as I sat down on the chair opposite her.

"Well, I… I don't know how to really explain this but… well…" I was stammering, I knew that. It was hard enough to have Edward back but now, it was harder telling my mother I was moving back out. It would be easy with Henry but, with Chanel, it was harder.

"You want to go with them, don't you?" She asked with a smile. It was creepy how my mother always knew what I was going to say before I got even a word out.

"Ok, you got to stop doing that! You scare me when you do that." I exclaimed. "But yes… That's mostly what I was trying to say…"

"Then, I don't have any problems with that." She said with a smile.

"Ok, now you're freaking me out. Why are you letting me go this easily? I thought that you'd want me around longer." I asked with unease.

"Because you'll be happier with Edward by your side. And I'm not going to ruin your happiness. And all of you are welcomed to visit us anytime you want." She explained to me as her smile grew wider.

"Thanks Mom." I said with a large smile. I got out of my chair and went towards her. She got up and gave me a hug.

We separated from the hug and Mom looked me straight in the eyes with a happy expression. "I'm proud of you Jules." She said with a loving voice.

"Thanks. Well, I'd better get packing. Don't want to be getting back to… um… Olympia too late." I said. I knew that I was lying to her but I couldn't tell her about part of my life. I couldn't do that to the Cullens.

"Alright, do you need help?"

"Probably not. With the Cullens's help, it'll go very fast. And besides, I don't have that many things unpacked."

"Alright. Call me if you need any help." She said as I started to exit the kitchen and went upstairs. Alice, Rosalie, Edward and Esme followed me up the stairs.

"So?" Alice asked as we went into my large room.

"Oh, like you have to ask, miss future seeing!" I said with humor in my whispered voice as I looked at her with a loving face.

"I know, but I have to say it. I have to say it to keep the image going." Alice said in a whispered voice. "But are you going to answer or not?"

"Whoa, whoa! Keep your knickers in a bunch, Alice! It went better than I would have expected." I said as I started to pack my things. The only thing that I had to pack was my clothes, my guitars and my laptop. The rest wasn't even taken out of the suitcases.

"I see you've been practicing." Rosalie said as she held my acoustic guitar out to me.

"Well, a little… When I wasn't thinking, I practiced country. Not my style, but it helps to ease some pain." I said as I grabbed the guitar and strapped it around my shoulder. I took the pick out of the strings—which is where I usually placed them instead of putting them in cases—and started fiddling around with the strings.

"It hurt you too?" Edward said as he placed his hand on my shoulder. I looked at him and smiled.

"Mostly, I tried to think of something else. But… it was hard, for both of us I guess." I explained.

"Well, come on then! Play us something!" Emmett said as the rest of the Cullens came in the room. Man, with all of them in here, I didn't realize how small this room really was.

"Alright, but we have to pack all my stuff before." I said as I pointed to my suitcases in the room. It wouldn't take long but I still wanted to… prolong this game. It was fun to have them around again and I wanted this to last.

"Won't be a problem." Carlisle said as they all separated and went their separate ways in the room to pack. In minutes, we were done and my suitcases were up against the wall.

"Alright, let's hear some music." Rose said as she sat down on the window seat. Emmett went to sit right beside her and she leaned into him. Carlisle and Esme sat down on the chairs in my room while Alice and Jasper sat down on a long bench right beside the door. Edward sat beside me on the bed as I started to pick at the strings.

"Well, I kinda heard this song on the radio and I liked the tunes. So, I started fiddling." I said as I started to play the song. I didn't know many Taylor Swift songs but I liked the song _Love Story_. The acoustics were very good and I loved to sing, maybe not country but it was nice at times like this. And this song fit perfectly with the moment.

As I sang, I looked at Edward from time to time. His angelic smile shone with such love that it made me wonder why I ever wanted to leave such a perfect guy. As the song played, I saw some of the Cullens start banging on their legs along with the beat, just like drums. It was sweet of them to accept me again. I missed that… When the song finished, I leaned against Edward carefully because of my guitar and kissed him on the lips.

"Simply lovely…" Esme said with a smile as Carlisle placed his arm around her shoulders. Edward mimicked his movements.

"Alright, now let's get going. This room is getting small with eight people in it." I said as I got up, placed the guitar in its case and put the case with the rest of my suitcases.

As we went down the stairs, Mom and Lou were already waiting for us. She was wearing a smile on her face, as usual and Lou asked if he could help with anything. Of course the Cullens had to say no but Lou was slightly disappointed. All the Cullens exited the house and brought my luggage in the cars. Minutes later, my luggage was packed in the cars and the Cullens were waiting for me to come out of the house. Edward went to start his Mustang and I stayed a little beside my mother and Lou. The door was open and we were on the front porch. I looked up at my mother and she was starting to cry. "Mom, don't cry." I said soothingly as I started to approach her and gave her a hug. "I'll come back on holidays." I reassured as I rubbed her back tenderly.

"I know… It's just… I'm just happy to see you smiling again." She said between sobs as we separated from the embrace. She smiled at me with motherly love as Lou came to hug me hesitantly.

"Come back soon, Jules." Lou said as he went to stand by my crying mother.

"I will. See ya." I rushed over to Edward's side of the car and embarked not long afterwards. When I was in the passenger's seat, Mom was waving at me goodbye and I waved back as we took off. As we were leaving the street, I couldn't help but wonder something…

"Edward?"

"Yes?"

"When did you find the time to get the cars?" I asked curiously.

He showed off his magnificent smile and said: "We decided to check the house first. When we figured out you weren't there—and your room was completely empty—we thought that it would be best to take the cars. It was a whole lot faster to try and track you down." He explained with his angelic voice. I missed that voice so much…

"Fair enough." He took one hand off the steering wheel and placed it on top of my left hand, which was lying on the arm rest. I had missed the touch of his cold hand so much these past few days that it was unbearably comforting right now.

"So, where are we off to now?" I asked, looking at his wonderfully pale face.

"To the house. We need to put your luggage back to its place."

"Alright, then what?"

"We come back to the castle. Evarak would like to see you."

"Why?" Now, this was weird. Why would an Elf with such high rankings would want to see me? Then again, these days, anything could happen.

"He would like to help you deal with your new power. He can help you… handle it and make it stronger, well that's the way he said it." Edward said.

"Oh… alright. Well, as long as you're by my side, I'll do anything." I said with a smile.

"You know I'll always be there for you." He said soothingly as we headed for his house. Now _this_ was nice. It was the happiest moment that I had felt in days. I was happy wherever Edward was.

It took us a few hours to go back to Olympia and bring my luggage into the house but by the time we got back to the castle, it was already getting late. The sun had already set and Evarak was on his way to his chambers to go to bed. We went towards my room and encountered Evarak. He was a few feet away from entering his quarters when he saw us coming.

"Ah! I see Miss Shrike has returned." He said with a smile as we approached him.

"Yeah, they… kinda brought me back." I said as Edward placed his hand in mine and they intertwined lovingly.

"Well, you are welcomed to stay as long as you see fit. Come see me tomorrow afternoon. I would like to talk to you."

"Alright. Will do."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I am welcomed to a nice and long rest." He said as he opened the door to his chamber and closed it softly.

"Why don't we call it a day?" Edward suggested as we walked towards my room.

"Sounds good to me. I'm exhausted. See you guys in the morning." I said as I kissed Edward and opened the door to my room. I stepped inside and found a large bed waiting for me. This felt right. But there was one thing that wasn't right… My clothes! Did I still have any in this room? As I took a step forward, I heard the door open. It was Alice.

"You forgot your clothes." She said as she handed me one of my suitcases.

As I grabbed my suitcase, I was very confused. I thought that all of my suitcases were in Olympia in my room? Well, I guess I could always ask her…

"How did you—"

"Your welcome." She said with her pixie voice. She had this huge smile on her face. She liked this moment… Don't know why…

"Hey Alice?" I asked suddenly before she closed the door and left me alone in my room.

"Yes?" She asked as she came in the room.

"When did you think of going to see my mother? You know… to know if I was with her?" I asked.

"We tried your father's and he seemed quite worried. Edward didn't buy it of course and it got on Jasper's nerves. But we also tried your friends. They didn't know where you were. Sam was the one to suggest going to see your mother." Alice said.

"Sam?" Surprising that she would be the one to suggest my mother's… I would have figured Henry would have done it. But then again, he wasn't acting like a supportive father these months. And he wouldn't start acting like it now.

"Well, it would have been easier to find you if you hadn't used the ring in the first place!" Alice said with a regretful look on her face. She looked quite happy but at the same time, trying to prove a point.

"Look, I know you're trying to prove a point at the moment, but I was trying to prove a point myself. At that time, I didn't want you guys to come and save me once more." I explained calmly.

"Why did you ever think that?"

"Because of the countless times you saved me in the past."

"But that's what families do. They help each other in dangerous times." She explained with feeling. Now that was comforting.

"Well, next time I'm in trouble, please give me a little time to try and get out of it. At least a few days." I asked with a smile.

"Well… we'll try." She said as she came up to me and gave me a hug. "But don't get too many high expectations. Edward might not let me do it."

"Well, alright. But please try."

"Will do. Now, you just get some rest." Alice said as she went towards the door.

"Um… one last thing." I said before she left the room.

"Yes?" She asked as she turned around.

"Tell everyone thanks… It meant a lot that you guys went through all that trouble just to get me back." I said with a loving smile.

"Anytime. Now, I'll see you in the morning." She said as she exited the room. I opened my luggage and found that there weren't just pajama clothes in here but my suitcase was full with expensive clothes! These weren't my clothes! I guess that Alice took in a little fun and went overboard with my whole new look. I emptied my clothes in the dresser and found that Alice still put some of my clothes at the bottom of the suitcase.

"Well, she sure went to some expenses for this…" I said with a giggle at the end.

I started to put a pair of PJ's on and I touched my scars. It was quite surprising how many scars I had on my upper body. I couldn't believe that Edward still found me beautiful with all of these scars on my body. Then again, I hadn't worn a tank top in a while when Edward was around.

When I touched the scars James gave me, they were cold. I guess this is what happened when you were bitten by a vampire. The scars would be cold, just like a vampire's skin.

"Well, I'm one step closer to a vampire than before." I said as I climbed into bed and started to drift into an easy sleep.

I was glad that I was in a familiar place. And with my lover, I couldn't be happier. Now, I would just have to wait and see what tomorrow would bring.

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**Bellacullenswan17**

10


	26. Endurance of the mind

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**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 26

Endurance for the mind

My dreams were soothing. They showed Edward and all the Cullens looking at me with a lovely smile on their faces. They were all waiting one beside the other for me to run up to them. As I saw them in my dream, I rushed up to Edward with a large smile on my face. He took me in his arms and hugged me strongly and affectionately. Now I knew that my decision to leave Edward was the dumbest thing I ever did…

When I woke up, it was cloudy outside. Not raining but the sun was hidden by dark clouds. Perfect. The vampires living here could go outside without any worries.

I sat up and rubbed my tired eyes. Afterwards, I stretched my slightly aching body and opened my eyes to find Edward sitting in the chair in the corner of the room. He had his dazzling smile and looked ravishing in his white shirt and blue jeans. "Good morning love." He said as he got up and came right beside my bed.

"Morning." I added with a large smile on my face.

"How did you sleep?"

"Perfectly." He took my hand and I made some room so he could sit beside me. He took the hint and took a seat right beside me. I cuddled into his strong chest and he placed an arm around my shoulder. "This feels good."

"Well, I'm sorry Jules but we're going to have to get a move on. Evarak is waiting for you in the training room." Edward said as he got off the bed and took my hand.

"Training room? Is there anything that _isn't_ in this castle?" He seemed to be thinking about it as I got out of bed and got some clothes. "Don't answer that."

"Why not?" He asked teasingly.

"Because I know the answer is no." I said as I passed beside him and made my hand past by his chest flirtingly. He seemed to like it.

"I'll see you when you're done freshening up." He said as he ran up to me and kissed me on the head before I went into the bathroom. It took me a few minutes before I was all freshen up and all pretty for Edward. Although I was only in sports clothing because of my meeting with Evarak, I think he would still find me attractive, I think. But there was something that was bugging me about this whole morning…

"Edward, do you mind answering one question for me?"

"Anytime, love."

"Isn't my meeting with Evarak in the afternoon?"

"Why, yes. Yes it is." He said with a loving smile.

"Then… why am I all dressed up this early in the morning?" I asked as I took a step towards him.

"I haven't seen you in days. I feel like it is my responsibility to get closer to my fiancé when I have the chance. And I'm taking that chance right now." He took a step towards me and cupped his hand on my cheek. He leaned down with his stone cold face and kissed me on the lips. As I kissed him back, he put an arm around my waist and took a step back. I was forced to follow him. As we kept taking steps backwards, he started to sit down and he brought me along with him. This was the first time that we had kissed this long and he wanted to kiss on the bed. Even more romantic… He leaned down on the bed and I was now on top of him, kissing him romantically.

A few seconds later, I heard a door open and Edward stopped kissing me. I turned my head around and saw Alice in the doorframe. I sighed and asked with a bit of edge to my voice: "Can't we have one moment of privacy?"

"Sorry Jules but Evarak asked his assistant to make a new portrait for the walls. He wants all the Cullens to be there." She said as she looked at Edward. I got off of Edward and sat right beside him as he straightened up and sat upright on the bed.

"Alright, I'll wait for you." I said as Edward got up and went towards Alice but stopped abruptly when I finished my sentence. He turned to look at me and looked… hurt. Was it something I said?

"How many times are we going to have to say it?" Alice asked desperately.

"You're part of the family too Jules. You should come." He said sweetly.

"I'm not part of the family… yet. We're not married yet." I said as I showed the engagement ring on my finger. I supposed that a family portrait to be held up in an important castle like this one would be for family members _only_, not girlfriends.

"Doesn't matter. You're coming with us no matter what." Edward said as he bent down and put his arms around my waist and lifted me on his shoulder like someone being captured. He was laughing at this moment, although I was the one freaking out here.

"Hey! Put me down! Let me change first!" I said with a laugh. I couldn't help but laugh at this moment as he started to bring me towards the door to my room with Alice behind him.

He stopped one before he left the room, hesitated and said: "Alright, but we'll be right outside the door waiting for you."

He put me down and I looked at him with a slightly angry look. "You better get out of that bathroom after you're done or we'll come and get you!" Alice warned.

"Fine." I said as I grabbed a few clothes and went into the bathroom to change. This wasn't how I planned my day to start.

A few minutes later, I was changed into something nice and pretty for the portrait. I got out and in a second, Edward swept under again and brought me on his shoulder like before and started walking away. "Edward, haven't you had enough of this game?!"

"Nope." Edward said with a laughing tone.

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, put me down!" I told him.

"You know he's not going to do it." Alice said with a smug look on her face. She was _so_ enjoying this moment. She grabbed my sports clothes and followed Edward out of my room.

"You're going to regret this, _Mary_." I knew how to play her game.

"Ok, that's aiming low." She said as she pointed right to my face. I knew that she hated to be called Mary—because of the whole James thing—but Edward had woman-handled me but I knew he was playing around as he brought me towards the room where the picture was being taken. I didn't even know which room it was in!

"Well, apparently, Edward's aiming high!" I said as Edward started walking slower but I couldn't see why.

"Please don't be difficult. This is the right thing to do. Everyone would be devastated if you weren't in the portrait." He said adoringly as he stopped and I heard a door open. When would he put me down?

"Edward, did you have to make _that_ difficult for her?" I heard Esme say. Oh no… They were all watching this moment.

"Yeah dude! You could have just persuaded her! You do it constantly." I heard Emmett say with a laugh in between his words.

"Edward, turn me around!" I said with a little playful anger in my voice. He turned me around willingly with a little cackle but that was it. When I faced all of the Cullens, they were laughing at this moment. Even Jasper, the one who almost never shows emotions, was amused. "I'm guessing you're getting a good laugh out of this?" I asked with my arms crossed but I had a large smile on my face.

I heard the sound of something opening and I saw a flash of light right beside me and it slightly blinded me. It was a camera. When the dots in my eyes started to disappear, I saw Alice holding a small digital camera in her hand and looking at the picture she just took of me. "Now we are. This'll be an amazing picture of you and Edward." She said as she showed me the picture from afar—since she knew that if I had a hold on that camera, I would delete the embarrassing picture—but I had to admit, it was a good picture of Edward and I. He had his lovely smile on and so did I, surprisingly. Although I didn't like this, I didn't really mind anymore.

"You guys are so going to regret it…" I said with a slight tone of humor as Alice put my sports clothes on the table close to the door.

"Oh come on Jules! Lighten up!" Rose said as Edward put me down slowly. "You belong in this portrait as much as the rest of us."

"I guess… I don't want to impose too much." I said as I went towards the Cullens with Edward and Alice by my side.

"You're not! Now, get in here!" Esme said as she grabbed my hand and dragged me into the picture. Edward came to my right and placed a hand around my waist to pull me into him. It was romantic but I guess it was appropriate for this moment. Alice came to my left with Jasper beside her. Jasper had Carlisle by his side but he copied Edward but differently, he placed his arm around Esme's shoulder and looked ravishing. On Edward's right, Emmett has his arm around Rosalie and stood close to us. This looked like a loving family.

Someone opened the door and a man walked in the room with a rectangular flat frame under his arm. "Alright everyone, my name is Lek and I'll be your photographer for the meanwhile. My lord sent me to take a picture of the Cullen family. Might you be the Cullen family?" The man looked to be over thirty-five but he was quite tall. He wore a black jacket unbuttoned, showing off a light blue shirt under. He also had black jeans and fancy black dancing shoes.

"Yes, this is us. We're all present." Carlisle informed with his musical but serious voice.

"Alright, this will only take a second." Lek said as he pointed the frame towards us and started pressing some buttons—well, I guessed it was buttons, I couldn't exactly see—and told us to smile. We obeyed and something appeared inside the rectangular frame. "Done." He said as he brought the frame down to his stomach and looked at the picture more carefully. Was it already done?

"Is that it?" Rosalie asked.

"Yep. It turned out perfectly. See?" He said as he handed the frame to Edward and we were able to see the photograph. It was… beautiful. Everyone looked beautiful with their pale face and golden eyes while… I stood out… I was the only one with a different set of eyes and rosy cheeks. I looked so… different from all of them.

"It looks fantastic." Edward said as he handed it back to Lek.

"Alright, I'll bring this over to Evarak and we'll be able to place it on the walls in a few hours." Lek said as he started leaving the room and brought the frame with him. When Lek was gone, I wasn't needed here anymore so, I turned around to face everyone with a lifeless expression.

"I think I had better get going. Evarak might be waiting for me." I said as I started backing up towards the door.

"But it's not even the afternoon yet!" Alice said with a disappointed expression plastered on her perfect pixie face.

"I know but… knowing me, I might get lost in this castle anyways." I grabbed for the doorknob but Edward stopped me with the start of his sentence.

"Would you like me to go with you?" Edward asked, sadness showed in his perfect golden eyes.

"No, no. It's fine. It'll give me a chance to explore the castle a little bit more. I'll… I'll see you later." I said sadly as I exited the door. When I closed it, I sighed deeply. I knew that running away from my problems was never the way to go but this one… I don't think I could tell them. I already complain too much as it is! As I started to walk away, I remembered that I had forgotten my clothes with the Cullens. Shoot… I did a complete one-eighty turn and entered the room slowly. They turned around to look at me and looked sad. "I forgot my clothes…" I said as I grabbed them and started leaving.

"Wait." Esme said before I closed the door.

"Huh?" I asked myself as I turned to face them, still holding onto the doorknob.

"Could we talk?" Esme asked shyly.

"Um… alright." I said as I opened the door and Esme followed me out the door.

When we were outside of the room, Esme took hold of the doorknob and closed it behind her. "Jules, is there something wrong?" She asked soothingly as she placed a hand on my arm.

"Um… no. Why?" I lied.

"Let's walk." She said as she put an arm behind my back and we started walking down the hallways. "You know that you can't lie to us. Jasper told us that you felt sad after the portrait was taken. Did something happen?" We stopped after a while and she was now facing me with her golden brown eyes.

"Well… sorta… But it's nothing. Don't… don't worry about it." I said with a fake smile on my face. I knew I was hiding this from them but I guess it was for their own good. Sometimes, you had to hide things from the ones you loved.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked softly as I sat down on a bench next to the wall. There seemed to be one of them at every fifty feet of this castle! But, it was good at a time like this since I needed to calm down.

"I guess… I mean, it's nothing much but… I don't know." I placed my head in my hands and bent down slightly on the bench.

"How about we start with a complete sentence?" She said sarcastically as she took a seat next to me.

"Nice line Esme, now I feel even more relaxed!" I said as I looked at her with an angry look. I never wanted to get angry at someone as sweet as Esme but now, they were all testing my patience these days.

"Alright, alright. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong is that I'm so much different from all of you!" I exclaimed.

"How is that wrong?"

"It's wrong because in that photograph, it's supposed to show a _family_, which means that they're usually supposed to show similarities. And with me in that picture, there are none." I exclaimed as I stood up and turned to face her. She was sitting down and looking at me, misunderstanding written on her pale marble face.

"Every family has its differences. You're no different." Esme said soothingly.

"Have you seen me? I don't have the same color of eyes; I don't have your beautiful features! I have nothing in physical comparison to all of you." I had lost my sense of calm. I was getting angry for nothing. It was a small problem and I was taking out on people who didn't deserve this. "I'm sorry…" I said as I turned around and faced the wall. I couldn't stand to get mad at her one more time today…

Esme placed her hands on my shoulders and said soothingly with soft circling motions with her hands: "It's alright Jules. Everyone feels… different when they enter a new family. Imagine, we're all vampires and you're the only human between us, and to keep us in line." She said with a short laugh at the end. It was funny, in a way.

"Really?" I looked up at her sweet happy smiling face.

"Really. It took Edward a while to be part of the family when he knew that he had the power to read minds." She admitted as she turned me around so I could look her right in the eyes.

"I didn't know that…"

"It's one thing Edward doesn't like talking about. But… A mother knows." She added as she hugged me tightly from my back. I held onto her arms as she hugged me with a large smile on my face.

"I guess I shouldn't have reacted like that… Thanks Esme. I feel better now." I said as I turned around and looked her in the face with a sincere smile on my face. "I had better get going now. I think I'd like to get there before Evarak does." I started heading towards the end of the hallway as Esme stood there with an adoring smile plastered on her wonderful perfect face.

"I'll see you soon Jules." She started to leave but there was one last thing I wanted to tell her before she left to join the others…

I stopped walking and turned around found her walking away and almost opening the door. "Esme?" She turned around immediately and looked at me with a questioning look.

"Yeah?" She asked questioningly.

"They're lucky to have you and Carlisle as parents." I complimented with a smile. She smiled back and thanked me before heading in the room. I continued my walk down the hall only to find myself at a crossroad. A crossroad of hallways. Which one should I take? Great… If I took the wrong one, I would certainly get lost. So, I went with my guts on this one… I went straight ahead.

It took about half an hour just to find the right room. It was an endless maze in this castle! But after all of this walking in circles, I was able to find the room Evarak wanted me to meet him in. When I entered the room, I found Evarak doing Yoga stances with his eyes closed. I closed the door soundlessly and advanced slowly towards him. I had my gym clothes in my hand and needed to get changed before we started anything. "Um… You told me to meet you here?" I asked shyly.

He opened his eyes and turned his head in a swift motion but it made me jump. He brought his hand up to level his face and something white came at me. It came right at me and knocked me off my feet. I landed on my back a few inches away from the doors. What the heck did he do that for?! "You should be more aware of the dangers around you." He said as he started to approach me. It hurt to get up when he extended his arm to help me stand. When I was upright and on my feet, I brushed the dust off myself and looked him straight in the eyes.

"What was that for?!" I asked angrily. Nobody could do that to me and get away with it.

"Your guard was down. That is what happens when you let your guard down. You're vulnerable to any attacks. That was only a little… demonstration of what could happen. Some things are much worse than that." He walked away from me and I just followed him.

"Alright then, teach me how to defend myself."

"It's a good thing you already know how to defend yourself physically. Now, we'll practice your mental defenses." He turned to face me after his sentence and his silvery eyes were staring directly at me. "Let's get started." He seemed to be enjoying every moment of this training… "Picture yourself an invisible wall right in front of you. Fast." He walked away from me.

I closed my eyes and imagined the wall as Evarak said. When I reopened them, Evarak was using some powers to knock me down again. I put my hands up to protect myself but the power was bounced off the wall. It hurt my head to use this power but I had to keep going. The power kept coming at me and my head was getting worse with every shot thrown at me.

"Make your shield stronger!" Evarak said before shooting another force at me. "Turn it from wood to brick! And then brick to metal! Then metal to steel!"

"I can't!" I said before a shot of white power came at me and broke my shield. It made me fall backwards. I decided to lie there…

"After only six shots, your field breaks. That means your shield is only made of wood. You have to make it much stronger if you want to survive any battle."

"I know…" I said painfully. My head was throbbing with effort and I couldn't possibly keep pushing it like this. It was hard enough trying to use this power constantly. "I tried my best…"

"Well, we're going to have to work on that, won't we?" He said as he went to get me a bottle of water. I drank it fully without even taking any air. The intense pain in my temples was subsiding slightly and I was now sweating. And I didn't even get changed! Oh well… no sense in changing now.

"One small problem with that…" I said painfully.

"And what might that be?" He asked as he turned to face me and looked me straight in the eyes.

"Every time I used this power… my head hurts like heck… why's that?" I asked as I sat down on the floor with my hand to my forehead.

"Here. This should help." He started rummaging through a closet at the far end of the room and took out a large bottle. What could possibly be in there?

"What is it?" I asked as he handed it to me. It was a thick liquid but the color made it look peaceful. The light blue liquid looked more like… shampoo.

"It's a potion that heals any wounds. It can heal any type of scars you bear and it can help your headaches. Just put a dime of it on your palm and rub it where is needed. But be careful. If you use it too often at the same time, you'll get exhausted fast." He explained. I tried it out on my temples and it worked like a charm. In seconds, the pain was gone. Incredible…

"Alrighty then, let's get back to it." I said as I got up and looked at him with a determined look. I was ready to do this… and it helped that I had the potion.

"Then let's go." He said as we started to get back to work.

We worked hard but my shield was improving. My head was aching a lot but I used the potion a lot and I was getting really tired. Although my shield was now a strong wood, my strength was weakening. After hours of working on my shield, I couldn't take it anymore. "Alright… I think we worked on it enough…" I admitted exhaustingly.

"Let's call it a day. We can get back to this in a day, so you'll get your strength back up again." He said as he started walking away.

"What about the potion…?" I asked as I started to extend the bottle to him but he shook his head.

"Keep it. It's a gift from me to you." He said with a smile before exiting the room. I followed him slowly and started heading to my room. A few minutes later, I was in front of my door. Finally, I could relax on my bed. It wasn't even supper yet and I wanted to sleep. Besides, I wasn't hungry.

I opened my door and found Edward sitting in the same chair he was in this morning. I gave him the biggest smile I could set on my face and he seemed worried.

"Are you alright?" He said as he walked up to me and put his arms around me. I wanted to sleep on his chest but I would rather want my bed.

"Yeah… just tired…" I said sleepily. He put an arm under my knees and lifted me up in his arms. My eyes were closing unconsciously but I liked being in his arms.

"Let me put you in your bed, Jules." He placed me in my bed and put the sheets on top of me. He kissed my head and petted my hair softly. "Sleep well love." His angelic voice said as I started to go into a dreamless sleep.

"Stay…" That was the only thing I got out before I started faded into a soft sleep.

"I always will…" Was the last thing I heard Edward say before my consciousness slipped away and Edward sat beside me on the bed. His coolness felt good. Today was a good day…

**Ok, so long chapter, so please REVIEW!!!**

**Bellacullenswan17**

12


	27. Uncontrollable willpower

**Alright, read and review!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 27

Uncontrollable willpower

I had a pretty good sleep. Even though I went to bed extremely early with Edward by my side, I felt… like my old self. When I woke up, Edward had his arm around my shoulder and he had that dazzling smile plastered on his adorable face. It was sunny today and the sun was shining in my room. Edward was sparkling. Man, he looked absolutely beautiful this way. "Hello Jules." His angelic voice said with a large smile on his face.

"Hey…" I said as I got up. My head didn't hurt anymore and I just sat in my bed. "How long have I been asleep?"

"About a day and a half. You were exhausted." He explained briefly.

"Wow… And I need a shower." I said as I looked at myself. I was still in my sweaty clothes and I was in desperate need of a shower. I didn't want Edward to have to stand next to me when I was like this. "Could I possibly have a human moment?" I asked as I flashed him a smile of my own. This time, I could show him one. Yesterday, I was just too tired.

"Of course. I'll be waiting for you." He said as I got out of bed, grabbed a few nice clothes, and headed for the bathroom.

It felt nice to be under the hot water. I needed something to keep me relax now. I practiced with Evarak yesterday and I _had_ gotten better, but now I needed to work even harder at my shield. I can't let the Cullens down one more time. I can't have them save me constantly. After a few minutes, I was clean and presentable. I came out of the bathroom and Edward was still sitting on my bed.

"Now, I'm acceptable."

"There's nothing that could make you look un-presentable, love." He said as he came up to me and embraced me in a cold hug.

"Wait, aren't I supposed to go meet with Evarak again?" I asked as I looked at him. I had just remembered that I had a training session with him today.

"He came to see if you were awake and when he saw you asleep and didn't wake up to anything, he decided to push it to tomorrow." He explained. Wow… He came to see me while I was sleeping? That must have been unpleasant.

"I'm a hard sleeper."

"And I'm alright with that." He said as he kissed me.

"So, what do you want to do today?"

"Alice decided to go on a walk with everyone. Would you like to accompany us?"

"If you want me, sure."

"Then let's go." He said as we walked out of my room and headed towards the hallway. We went out of the castle and found everyone standing close to the door. They seemed happy to see us together.

"Well, the more the merrier!" Emmett said with a childish jump. He was such a huggable teddy bear. It made me laugh to see him like this. "What's so funny?" He asked after a few more bounces. Maybe I shouldn't have laughed at him like that but he was asking for it.

"Oh, nothing…" I said as I placed my hand on my mouth to stop laughing. "Alright, so where are we headed?"

"Just up the hill. But… there's something wrong…" Alice said as she turned her head towards the mountain side. She seemed puzzled about something.

"What's the matter?" Carlisle asked worriedly.

"The clouds are darkening. A storm's coming. Maybe we shouldn't do this now." Alice said as she turned towards us and looked uneasy.

"Well, maybe not for very long. It looks pretty far away." Even I could see the clouds coming and they seemed to be coming towards us slowly. "We could go to the top and come back down." I suggested. I wanted to do something interesting today.

"It seems logical to me." Edward said as he hunched his shoulders in an I-don't-care-what-we-do look.

"You'd agree with anything she said, desperate lover!" Emmett said with a snort.

"He's right, you know." Rose said.

"Well, I agree with what makes sense. And what Jules just said made sense. It won't take us that long to get up to that cliff and back. Well, not if we keep arguing." Edward pointed out as he placed an arm around my waist.

"Whatever you say, desperate lover!" Emmett said as he started running slowly towards the hill.

"Why you…" Edward said playfully as he started running after Emmett. When Emmett saw Edward running towards him, he ran at vampire speed and they ran after each other playfully. They never made it up to the hilltop but they started running towards the forest.

"Hey! Pipe down you two!" Esme said loudly enough to ring in my ears. They started walking towards the hill and my head started to hurt a little. I didn't complain but it was a little annoying. I walked up with them towards the hill and I saw Edward pin Emmett to the floor in a half nelson. So Edward finally caught Emmett… Last time I saw that was in my room when Edward tried to strangle me… Man, I wished I would have forgotten that event! As I walked higher and higher up the cliff, Emmett came out of the half nelson and came right up to me at vampire speed and grabbed me from the waist. He lifted me off the ground and placed me under his armpit.

"Hey! Put me down!" I said playfully.

"Put my girlfriend down, bro!" Edward said playfully as he faced Emmett in a crouch stance. But the funny thing was, he had a playful smile on his face. He was enjoying this. I haven't seen Edward this happy in a very long time. Actually, I think the only time I saw him this happy was when he proposed to me.

"Never!" Emmett said in his attempt to be evil.

"Oh honey, could you put her down please?" Rose said as she started flirting with him, running her finger up his arm and up to his neck. He started calming down and closed his eyes. Man, what guys won't do to flirt with girls… Emmett relaxed his grip on me and I was able to touch the ground with my feet. I escaped from his grasp and walked back from him as Rose and Emmett started kissing.

"Ewe! Get a room you two!" I said amusingly.

"Be happy to, but we don't have the time. Let's get up to that hill already!" Emmett said as they both ran up the hill. My headache had come back even stronger now as Edward placed an arm around my waist and brought me up the hill. When we got to the top, we could see that the weather was changing faster than expected.

"What is with this weather?" Carlisle asked worriedly as he looked up at the sky. When I saw the sky darkening, my head was hurting extremely that I couldn't hide the pain anymore. I doubled over with my hands to my temples and gasped out in pain. Everyone came to my side and they were quite worried about me, again… "Jules, what's wrong?!" Carlisle asked as he tried to see what was wrong with me.

"My head… it hurts!" I tried to say but the pain kept getting stronger and stronger every second. Suddenly, as the pain grew, I started to see images. The same images of the angel with the flaming eyes. This time, I was with him on the field, staring straight at the flaming house. That wasn't right… All the other times, I could only see him. I wasn't with him. I tried to say something but no sound came from my mouth.

"Jules? Jules!" I heard Edward say but he wasn't here. It was just his voice.

"She's not responding to anything." I heard Esme say. "Jules?! Can you hear me?"

"Look at her eyes!" Emmett said worriedly.

"She's not herself anymore. The Angel's Blood's taking over her." Carlisle explained. I looked at my surroundings and saw that the angel was turning around to face me.

"_All will be lost. Everything will change soon._" I heard someone say. It was the angel. He was speaking telepathically to me… Incredible.

"_Who are you?_" I asked back. He was pretty handsome, for a man with fiery eyes. He had gorgeous blond long hair that tinted orange with the flames surging in the air and white wings as big as his entire body were attached to his back. He wore a plain white shirt with black jeans. He looked… normal. Like any other kid you'd see at Olympia. But his eyes showed something different… Age. He was quite old but his appearance was young.

"_I am Ikalek. I am the angel that lives inside you now. You cannot deny it._"

"_No, I'm not denying it. I just want to know what's going on and why you're inside me. Are you going to at least answer me that?_" I asked. I wanted some answers before anything else happened.

"Jules, what are you doing?" I heard Rose's voice ask worriedly. What was going on?

"_See for yourself._" Ikalek said as he snapped his fingers and a light appeared beside him. Now, I could see what was going on outside of this field. I could see myself looking straight ahead but I was in a trance. I wasn't myself. I was walking towards the end of the cliff. Edward tried to stop me but I put up a shield to block him. That wasn't me at all. I was being controlled. But by what?

"_If you must know, I am the one controlling your movements._" He admitted. He's reading my mind… Well, it's not surprising. He's in my head, just like Gus was.

"_You can't do that! This is my mind and nobody will take control of me again! Do you hear me?! NOBODY!_" I screamed. When my gaze returned to the reality of outside my mind, I was walking towards the end of the cliff. Oh no… Ikalek was making me jump off the cliff.

"Whoever's controlling my Jules, don't you _dare_ make her jump off that cliff! Jules!" Edward screamed but it was too late. My feet were already slipping off the ledge of the cliff. They couldn't do anything to stop me. This jerk here was putting up the shield and they were being blocked.

"She's going to fall! Someone stop her!" Alice said in panic.

"_Stop this! You're going to get us killed!_" I thought loudly. I had to say us because he was in my head, and he probably couldn't get out until I was dead. On the screen, I was just falling off the cliff and Edward tried to catch me but wasn't fast enough. I started falling but suddenly, as I headed towards the rocks at the bottom of the cliff, the line of my shirt ripped about an inch at my shoulder blades. I couldn't watch this anymore. I walked up to Ikalek and said angrily: "_Nobody tries to kill me by controlling me…_" before I punched him right in the stomach. He doubled over and a white flash made the image disappear and I returned in a body that was falling towards dangerous waves. I felt extremely tired and my body was aching badly as I kept falling.

This wasn't going to end well… I screamed and put my hands protectively in front of my face. I closed my eyes and I hit the waves roughly.

I felt myself sink lower and lower into the raging water and my body hurt a lot. I tried to swim up to the surface but it was hard. The waves were against me. What was I to do… The waves were extremely strong and the only thing I knew what to do was to swim towards the shore and not against the current. But… where was the shore? I knew where the cliff was but the shore was a complete mystery. Maybe the only thing I could do was to swim up to the surface and see where I should go. So, I swung my arms as hard as I could and tried to swim upwards. The weather was making the water darker and I wasn't sure how far down I was in the deep water.

I held in my breath to keep the oxygen I had and saw a rock just inches beside me. Although my arms and legs were getting numb, I had to get to that rock. I couldn't stay underwater any longer without air. I fought against all the odds and grabbed onto the ledge of the small rock. I worked my way up shakily and tried to hold on as the waves hit me hard. As best as I could, I held on and tried to look around. The waves were getting stronger with the winds, the sky was darkening and it started to rain softly. "He's really trying to kill me." I said softly as a wave hit me square in the face. I almost lost my grip on the boulder and I was lucky I didn't fall into the water again.

"JULES?!" I heard someone scream. I turned my head towards the voice and saw Rose jumping from rock to rock, trying to get to me.

"Rose…" I tried to say as she came closer but my fingers were slipping off the rock and another wave hit me. This time, I fell into the dark water again. I couldn't swim. My arms and legs were too tired. I knew I was going to die, and this jerk of an angel would die with me. He deserved to die again. I couldn't hold my breath anymore. I knew that this time, I was done for. I wasn't going to see Edward again, or any of the Cullens for that matter. That was a shame.

After so many times of leaving them, they would come and find me. They tried to find me now in this horrible black water but they would only find a woman swimming in the ocean that they couldn't help. They couldn't change me into a vampire now, not when I didn't have a pulse. This was a sad way to die. I wanted to at least see Edward's face one last time before I died. Oh well… We can't have everything in life. I wanted to close my eyes and leave all of my efforts behind. Before I closed my eyes, a blinding light appeared in the water, and it was coming towards me. What was it?

As it came forward, my vision blurred but I saw the light for what it was really. It was a woman in a white dress that went all the way down to her ankles and showed her shoulders. She was a beautiful woman. She was about my height and the light was shining all around her, just like an angel you see in movies. "Juliette Elizabeth Shrike, this is not your time." The woman said. That was the last thing I heard before I closed my eyes, opened my mouth and gave in. I was dying and right now, it felt like all my troubles were being lifted. No more troubles with school, all this magical stuff, and if I had one more thing to say to Edward, it would be this:

"Goodbye. I love you more than anything in the whole wide world. Be happy."

**Review please. That would be very nice.**

**Bellacullenswan17**

8


	28. Making life choices

**Alright, once again, READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 28

Making life choices

It was nice to be free of everything. To be free of regrets, of worries. Everything, just… gone. Heaven was nice, or maybe this wasn't exactly Heaven. Maybe I was just… somewhere else for a certain amount of time. All I knew was that I was drifting in a room filled with white lights. I liked the feeling. It was peaceful. But there was something different in this room. There was a beautifully carved wooden door in front of me. I approached it slowly and looked at it in detail. It was carved exactly like the wardrobe you see in the movie '_The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe_'. It was very well done and it looked mysterious. Was this the door I had to go through to be accepted in Heaven?

"This is not your time, Juliette." A heavenly female voice said from behind me. I turned around to find a beautiful woman wearing a white dress that went to her ankles and showed her shoulders with a lovely feature. This was the woman I saw when I was in the dark water! But… why was she here? And why now? What was going on?

"Who are you?"

"I have seen what you have done for the magical realm, Juliette. It is quite courageous. And loyal. But what happened in the past few hours was not in your future." She was starting to confuse me but I figured I might as well keep her talking. She might be able to explain what's going on here.

"You still haven't answered my question." I added in sarcasm. She didn't seem amused.

"My name is Karmani. But you can just call me the Angel of Destiny. Or Angel for short, if you'd like." Oh my god… I was actually talking face to face with the Angel of Destiny. Quite incredible for a day like this.

"What kind of a name is Karmani?" The name sounded quite strange, but when you started to live in the Elf City for a long time, you started to get used to the weird names.

"Oh, just forget the name! Just call me Angel." She said impatiently. For an angel, she sure was snippy.

"Alright, alright! So Angel, what am I to do now?"

"You have a choice to make."

"What kind of a choice?" What was she talking about? I was dead; I didn't have any other choice. The only thing standing between me and the afterlife is Heaven or Hell.

"As I said before, this was not supposed to be your future. Your death was intended to be later on. As a result, you have a choice to make." She explained softly. "You can decide to accept your death and go straight to Heaven or—"

"Oh, so I _am_ going to end up in Heaven!" I said happily.

"Ok… would you just let me finish?! All of these interruptions are making me say things I shouldn't." Angel said as she rubbed her temples in anger.

"Alright, please continue."

"As I was _saying_! You can choose to die or to live. We're giving you the chance to go back and live happily with the Cullens." She explained. I couldn't believe this… I was getting a second chance at living and I could decide whether or not to die. This was huge. But… what would happen if I actually did die? What would the others think?

"So let me get this straight… You're telling me that I can either choose to go back and live a life with the Cullens and go to school and, on top of that, have this horrible relationship with my father _or_ to go ahead and die?" This wasn't really getting through to me. This was so much to take in at once.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it." Angel said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I… I don't know what to do…" I said as I rubbed my forehead in tiredness. I don't know how I could possibly feel tired in a place like this but I was getting a headache.

"You don't _know_? Shouldn't this be extremely easy for you?" She asked impatiently.

"It's a hard choice to make, okay! Man, you're a snippy Angel."

"Look, I'll help you out, just this once. I can help you with your decision. I'll show you what life would be like if you would decide to die. Well, that is, if you want to see the outcome." Well, her suggestion was reasonable. And my decision would be much easier. I mean, I feel like I should say 'I want to live' and be done with it but… there's something in me that's saying no.

I took in a deep breath and said: "Alright. Please show me."

"Alright, let's go into the future." Angel said before a white flash made the room evaporate and in an instant, we were standing in the living room of a large house with open windows as walls. All the furniture was white and extremely clean. This was the Cullens's house. Emmett, Rosalie, Carlisle and Esme were in the living room, heads bent down so low I couldn't tell the emotions on their faces. Well, they didn't seem to notice I was here since none of them lifted their heads to face me.

"Why come here first?" I said sadly.

"This is where we _should_ start. Besides, we're ghosts here. No one can see us."

"You sure?"

"You'll see…" Angel said as Alice came in the room with an emotionless expression. Jasper held her hand as they approached the rest of the Cullens. But only one person was missing… Edward.

"How is he?" Esme asked as Carlisle placed an arm around her. Alice sat down on the white couch next to Rose. Now I could see their faces. They were sad, almost in a depression stage.

"He won't come out of his room. And he won't dare go past Jules's room." Alice explained lifelessly as she squeezed Jasper's hand. They were really upset. Had my death made them this depressed?

"I'll try talking to him." Esme started getting up and looked at her children carefully. They were all in a state of melancholy and it showed plainly on their faces.

"I can't believe she's actually gone…" Rose said as Alice dry sobbed into a handkerchief in her hand. This couldn't happen like this… All this sadness was probably making Jasper feel nauseous.

"We all have trouble dealing with this. Especially Edward." Carlisle said lifelessly. Carlisle, the man who saw people die right in front of him in the hospital, was going into a depression because of _my_ death.

"He can't stand the fact that she died. He just wants to be alone, like before." Before? What did Alice mean when she said 'before'? "Before Jules came into the picture, he was miserable. Now, he's back into that state."

"I'll try talking to him. Maybe it'll help." Esme tried to place a smile on her face, but it only turned into a grimace.

"I tried. He just won't talk to anyone."

"A mother knows how to get their children to talk." Esme said as she headed towards the staircase. Alice and Rose started dry-sobbing and it made me feel guilty. Guilty that I died and I placed this misery in their perfect family. I figured I might as well follow Esme and see what Edward would say. He was the one I wanted to hear more than anything in the world. I wanted to hear his voice.

Esme approached her son's locked door and knocked three times. She put her ear to the door, trying to hear what was going on inside. No sound. "Edward? Can I talk to you?" She asked softly.

"Leave me alone." His velvety voice said. It sounded painful. I had to see him.

"You can go through to his room, you know." Angel said.

"How?"

"Oh, just get in there." She said as she pushed me through Esme and the door. Next thing I knew, I was stumbling in Edward's room. Edward had his back to me and was facing the open door leading to the woods. It was raining heavily outside. One of his hands was pushed on the glass. He looked miserable.

"Please Edward, let me in. I just want to try and talk to you." She pleaded. Edward turned slightly and faced me. He looked so sad. It pained me to see him this way. He walked towards me and went right through me to unlock and open the door. He walked right back through me and returned to face the window as Esme came in the room and closed the door behind her. "How are you?" She asked as she started to approach him. I didn't want anyone else going through me so; I stepped aside and let her go to Edward.

"I can't live without her." He admitted painfully.

"I know you're hurting more than any of us can imagine, but you have to let out your pain sometime. You can't keep this all bottled up and live like this. Jules would have wanted you to be happy, not the other way around." She placed a beautiful hand on his shoulder. She was trying to soothe him.

"The fact that she died, it's killing me. Just let me go to them!" He now faced Esme with a heartbreaking expression. "Let them finish me off! I can't live without Jules by my side." Who was he talking about? And I hope Edward didn't mean to kill himself just because I died.

"You know Jules wouldn't want you to kill yourself just for her sake. She even told you to find happiness again if she died. We don't want to lose you too." Esme said as she cupped his cheek.

"Esme, before Jules, you saw how miserable I was! I wasn't whole. Something was missing inside of me. But when I met her, I was caught. She caught me in her loving personality and beauty that I couldn't help but get to know her. When I touched her beautifully warm skin, I felt safe. When I kissed her, I felt sparks. Whatever I did to have such a lovely woman fall in love with me, I'm grateful. Whenever I'm around her, I feel whole. But now that she's gone, I feel nothing. I'm broken into so many pieces that I can't be put back together." He explained, pacing around his room. It was incredible what he said about me but his attitude… this wasn't like him. Even in this hell, he wanted to be with me.

"Edward, I know you're upset. But no one can keep living like this. And I know that if Jules was still alive right now, she'd want you to live happily." Esme said as she gave her son a loving embrace.

"The only thing I'm happy about is that the monster that killed her is dead as well." He said. Unfortunately, I didn't hear him very well since Esme's hair covered his face.

"She's happier where she is now." Esme said, her voice muffled with her sobbing.

Suddenly, I heard something I thought I would never hear from Edward. He was crying. Not sobs, actual crying. There were tears flowing from his perfect golden eyes. I thought vampires couldn't cry. Maybe my death affected something in him that can make him cry. I wanted so badly to wipe those tears away from his beautiful face. "I miss her so much." He said sadly. I wanted to cry as well, but no tears came to me. Maybe ghosts like me couldn't cry at all.

Angel put her hand on my shoulder and said softly: "It's time to go." I looked at her desperately. All I could do was look at my Edward. I closed my eyes and nodded.

"Where are we going this time?"

"Your father's." Great, the last place I wanted to go. I bet he just sits on the couch watching TV.

"Alright…" Then, a white flash made Edward's room evaporate and I was now in my living room. It was dark, no lights were lit, the only light coming from the TV. It was dark outside. I don't get it… We were just at the Cullens and it was raining. Now, it's night. Freaky.

I looked closely into the living room. Henry was watching TV on the couch with a can of Diet Pepsi in his hand. I knew it… He didn't care.

"Why are we here? He obviously doesn't care if I died. I never had a relationship with my father. It was like I never existed to him after Jeremy died." I explained. It was true. I mean, look at the guy! He obviously had no heart.

"I think you're wrong on that part." Angel said.

"And why is that?"

"Look at the television." Angel said as she pointed to the television behind me. There was no sound coming from the television. I turned around and saw that Henry was watching a volleyball game. Usually, he watched football, basketball or baseball games.

"So he's watching a volleyball game. What does that have to do with him having a heart and caring about someone else?" I replied impatiently.

"Oh, just look closely!" Man, she was snippy! And she was getting on my nerves. I did what she said and looked closely at the screen. It was one of my games. I was playing with my school team from Seattle. But… why was he watching _this_? I looked closely at Henry and I could see fresh tears on his face. Incredible… Henry never cried. A few seconds later, he closed the TV and started crying loudly. He took the family picture on the table between his hands and cried on it. He held it close to his chest, hoping that the pain would just evaporate by crying it out. But that didn't work very well. He grabbed a box of Kleenexes and started mumbling as he cried.

"Jules… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… I wished we could have done more together…" He said between sobs. He actually cared about me…

"There isn't much to see here." Angel said.

"I saw all I needed to see from Henry. Where do we go now?" I asked as I looked away from the crying man in front of me. This wasn't the father that raised me. He was… different.

"Our last destination. Your mother's." She said before a white flash appeared and Henry evaporated, leaving his cries in the air for a long time.

In a mere second, we were standing in my mother's room. I could see my mother crying endless tears into Lou's jacket on their bed. They were still wearing black. I guess they were in mourning. Mom was holding a picture of me. Great, she was holding a terrible school picture of me. Was everyone holding pictures of me these days?

"I can't believe my babies are all gone…" Mom said as she kept crying into Lou's shirt.

"I'm sorry honey." He said soothingly as he made circles into her back to try and get her to stop crying. Mom stopped crying into his shirt and decided to lie back against the pillows. By the looks of her, she had been crying for ages.

"I always thought I would get to see my daughter graduate. But now… I don't even have that!" She said as she placed the frame on her chest and cried even more. My mother was a mess now. And it was all because I died. As my mother cried, I saw Lou carefully and he was crying as well. It was the first time I saw my step-father cry.

"In this scene, how long had I died?" I asked Angel. Maybe she could help me understand why my mother was crying this hard.

"About four days. The funeral had ended today and they placed you in the cemetery next to your brothers." Angel explained.

"Oh… So this is why she's dressing in black. I just figured she was in mourning." I said. I might as well say what I think. I can do it easily with Edward, since he can't read my mind, but with Angel, it's a little trickier.

"Oh, they are. After this, your mother will be crying for days on end. That woman can cry!" Angel said. I heard the humor in her voice and it made me chuckle softly.

"That's my mother for you." I said. But I had just remembered something important. I turned to face Angel abruptly. "But what about my friends? Like Sam or Maggy and Austin?"

"They're all the same. They mostly mourn your death but Sam cries every so often. She's the one who cared for you the most, between your friends." She explained. I wasn't surprised. Sam and I were extremely close, although we didn't have any time to bond together during the summer, we would catch it up during the school year.

"Alright… do we have to stop anywhere else?" I asked tiredly. All of these scenes were making me tired. I didn't feel like seeing anyone else cry because of this but, if we had to, I would endure it.

"Not really. Unless you would like to go somewhere else." Angel said.

"Well, I wanted to see what it would have been like if I had died from different perspectives and I saw what I wanted to see. So, what do we do now?" I said with a long sigh.

"You have to make your choice. If we wait any longer, the Angel of Death will have won. Now, our jobs as Angels of Destiny, we intend to prevent the Angel of Death to win. Since it's not your time to pass on, we are giving you another chance. So, are you ready to make your decision?" Angel asked.

I took in a deep breath and sighed. "Yes. I've made my decision." Suddenly, a white flash appeared again and in an instant, we were in the white room again. I was in front of the door and Angel was next to me, waiting for something.

"Alright, what is your decision?" She asked.

"I want to live."

"Alright. It is settled. When you step through that door, your decision will bring you back to your original state. The Cullens are now trying to bring you back to life using CPR, but with no success. When you wake up, you'll be with them. Now, I hope we don't see each other anytime soon. You just gave me a headache." She said as she rubbed her forehead with one hand and snapped her fingers with the other one.

The door opened by its own and through the door frame was my body, drenched in water. My eyes were closed and Carlisle was trying to give me mouth to mouth. Everyone was around me and tried to get the water out of my clothes but it was still raining. Since I wasn't exactly dead, the Angel of Death wasn't around to get me. Well, not yet anyway. "JULIETTE ELIZABETH SHRIKE! Don't you dare die on me!" I heard Edward say loudly and angrily.

"I really hope we don't have to go through this again. Thanks Angel. Although, I do have one question that's been on my mind." I said as I looked her straight in the eyes.

"Just make it quick before Death knocks at your door." She said as she pointed to the open door.

"How many Angels of Destiny are there in the world?" I asked. When Frederic told me his story, he mentioned a 'he' Angel of Destiny. And now, I'm facing a 'she' Angel of Destiny.

"For every person on this planet, there is one Angel of Destiny. It can be a he or a she, depending on the gender." Makes sense. I mean, it would be pretty uncomfortable to be talking to a man about all of these problems.

"Thanks Angel. That answers my question perfectly. I hope that I won't be bumping into you anytime soon." I said as I closed my eyes and stepped through the doorway and the white flash shown again. The last thing I remembered was going into a deep sleep.

I didn't feel much when I stepped through that door but it felt nice. Just like when I 'died'. You could say I was more in a limbo, the place between life and death. I was just lying there, eyes closed and unconscious. But the next time I woke up, I was coughing.

**Oh no, what happened now? Please REVIEW!!!**

**Bellacullenswan17**

11


	29. Escaping death

**So, please, when people start reading this story, SOMEONE PLEASE REVIEW!!! I'm kinda desperate. Sorry for being so demanding. READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 29

Escaping death

I was coughing up water. And a lot of it. How much water was in my system? I rolled onto my sides, trying to spit out all the water out of my throat but cold hands tried to help me spit the water out. "Oh thank god!" I heard Esme say as I continued to spit the water out. After a few seconds, there was nothing more to retch. I was now on my side but I was freezing in this weather. My clothes were all wet and I was a mess.

"Quick! Someone help her!" Carlisle said loudly. My ears were ringing like mad and I was getting a splitting headache. I just decided to lie there. My body was too exhausted to do any sort of movement.

"Jules, can you hear me?" Esme asked as she tried to turn me around so I would be on my back. My eyes were closed and I could only feel a burning sensation in my throat.

"Rose, go to the castle and get some warm clothes and blankets. We need to get her warm or else, she'll freeze if we carry her." Carlisle said.

"Okay. Just hang in there Jules." I heard Rose say and then, a breeze passed beside us and I assumed it was Rose running at vampire speed. I felt cold hands touch my face and try to check my wrist. I guess Esme or Carlisle was checking my pulse.

"Her heart rate is fast and unsteady." That was Carlisle.

"Is she going to be alright?" That voice, I recognized easily. That was my Edward. Luckily, I could feel that the rain had stopped.

"We need to get her out of this weather. She'll freeze in minutes. If we can accomplish that task, then she'll be fine." Esme explained. I could feel myself getting colder each minute and it wasn't helping that vampires had cold skin. I felt another cold breeze go through me and I could feel something soft being placed on me. Rose probably brought the blankets and all that.

"This should help. I took them from her room." I heard Rose say.

"Ed… ward…" I tried to say as they wrapped me in warm blankets. I could feel the heat radiate off of the blankets as I was swooped up in someone's arms.

"You'll be alright, Jules. You'll be alright…" He kept repeating it constantly as we ran to the castle. I was covered in blankets so I couldn't feel the cold. At the moment, I couldn't feel anything at all. Just numbness and the burning sensation that rose in my throat.

It felt like seconds passed when the running stopped. But unfortunately, my body temperature stretched from Out-in-the-rain cold to God!-someone-get-me-out-of-this-freezer cold. In Edward's arms, I started to shiver.

"Jules?" I could hear the distress in my darling's voice. This was something you heard very often from Edward but now… it was fear. There was fear in his voice. Fear of losing me. As usual…

"The run just made her condition worse! I don't like the color of her skin. And her lips are starting to become blue. This isn't good…" I heard Carlisle say.

"What can we do?" Rosalie asked worriedly.

"Well, there's always a hot bath or the occasional warm blankets. Then again, that second one already failed…" Carlisle explained.

"Then we'll give her a hot bath! She can't stay like this! She'll freeze." Alice's pixie voice was flushed with concern and desperation. She really wanted to get me healthy again. It was just one problem after another. I wish it would all stop soon.

"Alright, I think it would be best if I were the one to do it." Esme said softly.

"Just… do… it…" I said shakily. I wasn't unconscious yet but I was getting there. My hearing was faint and I was shaking more than ever in my love's arms. Everyone noticed.

"Let's do it fast. Someone turn on the water!" Edward said rather loudly. It was a lot for my head to handle at the moment. I might have just escaped death but it sure didn't feel like it. I felt as if my world was crashing down so many times, I lost count.

As my body became more aware of the fatigue invading me, my surroundings started to became fuzzy. And of course, the Cullens figured that out. "She's exhausted." Emmett pointed out.

"Of course! She almost drowned, dude!" Edward said; a touch of anger to his voice. He didn't need to get mad at one of his brothers just because of little ol' me.

"Cut it out! Edward, bring her in the bathroom. We'll get her clothes off and soak her until the water's full. Our body heat is not helping." Esme said faintly.

My voice was weak and helpless but at this point, a single word was the only thing pronounceable. "Sleep…" was the only word pronounceable at the moment for me.

"Can she?" Alice asked.

"Well, yes, but we'll monitor her carefully. Can everyone do that?" Carlisle asked. I believe he was looking at his family. It took a few seconds until someone spoke but finally, Carlisle continued saying: "Alright. Remember, we stick by our family."

"Right." All the Cullens said in unison.

"Sleep my Jules. We'll wake you when we need you." My love's angelic voice soothed me and I fell asleep fast and easily. But somehow, it was an uncomfortable sleep. Even though, as I slept, I was probably being stripped naked by Esme—which was fine since she's the doctor—but it still made me uneasy.

It must have been hours when I finally woke up. I felt absolutely awful! My body ached in many places, my temperature was quite warm and I felt tired, extremely tired. My eyes fluttered open and my room was dark. There were no lights and the sun had already set. I noticed there was a new moon tonight. That was a first. Well, a first to me. As I looked around my dark and unlit room, I found no Edward. Well, that was a change.

I swung my feet beside my bed and slowly stood up. Once I started approaching the door, I heard someone sigh deeply. I stopped and looked around.

"You're _really_ starting to get on my nerves." A deep voice said angrily from behind me. I turned around abruptly to find myself staring straight at the Angel of Death's face.

"Death…" I said lowly. I backed slowly away from him, frightened for this unmentioned visit. There were only a few reasons why Death came knocking at your door—or in this case, stood right in front of you—was to take your soul away because you died.

"Every single time I try to get your precious little soul, someone has to save your butt! This is my fourth visit to try and get you. Aren't you tired to find me in your bedroom every single week?" He asked as he approached me slowly. I was too afraid to do anything at this point so, I just backed away with every step her took. I normally didn't show my fears but now… I mean, come on! It's the Angel of Death!

"W-Why are you here…?" I stuttered.

"As I just _told_ you, I want your soul."

"You told me yourself that you can't take a soul away if it's still alive." I said as I was pushed back against the wall.

"That, I can't do, unfortunately. But there's one thing I can do and that's a secret." He said with a smirk on his white face.

"What…?" What in the world did he mean, a secret? What in the world was he planning? "What are you–"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out. Remember everything I ever told you Juliette. It'll help you make decisions in the future." He said before disappearing in a black mist. What the heck was that?! And what did he mean by _Remember everything I ever told you Juliette. It'll help you make decisions in the future_? Now, I was officially freaking out. But… the Cullens couldn't know about this. Since Edward couldn't read my mind, this was perfect. But Alice and Jasper couldn't figure it out. They would be all over my case and trying to protect me twenty-four-seven.

I sank down to the floor and laid my head against the wall. _What am I going to do?_ I thought. I ran my hand over my forehead and flipped my hair. I opened my eyes to find Emmett looking at me like I was this strange alien. His eyes were dumbfounded but his face was all amusement, even though opening my eyes to find Emmett staring at me so close is just plain scary.

I jumped when I opened my eyes. "Oh God!" I exclaimed loudly. Emmett backed away a little and looked at me humorously.

"You know, I'd rather be called Emmett than God. It sounds too… formal." He mused.

"Emmett! How long have you been standing there, right in front of my _face_?!" I asked furiously. But, a thought just crossed my mind. What if he overheard the conversation I just had with the Angel of Death? That would just ruin everything! He would go and tell Rose, and Rose would go tell Alice or Esme or maybe both and then, they would tell Edward. Then, I would get in trouble.

"Oh, I just got here a few seconds ago. Edward sent me to see if you were still sleeping." Emmett explained as he sat on my bed.

He was acting like nothing happened, just now. I stood up and approached him slowly. "He did, did he?"

"Yeah, he won't stop worrying. It's driving Jasper nuts." He was now looking at his nails.

"And why didn't he just come and see me myself?"

"Alice has him on lockdown until she sees you first. She wants to talk to you."

"What about?"

"She never tells me anything these days. All I know is that she wanted to talk to you in the morning. Well, that is, if you woke up in the morning. Now, I can just tell her to wake you up in the morning." He said with a smirk. He was enjoying every single minute of this.

"And exactly what time is it?"

He looked at his watch and in an instant, he said: "Two twenty-three. It's quite early in the morning." He mentioned. "Well, I better get going and tell your lover that you're awake. He'll probably come rushing in the moment I tell him." He was walking to the door quickly but before exiting, he stopped in his tracks, turned his head and said softly: "I'm glad you're alright, Jules."

"Thanks…" I said softly with a smile on my face. He left the room and shut the door behind him.

As I approached my bed, I was thinking of what Death had told me in the past. He had mostly told e the same thing, over and over again. _You would rather have those around you that you love killed other than kill yourself._ That was the only thing that would matter in everything he said. That was the only thing that frightened me. But why was Death always coming to see me? Why didn't he go and get Gus and just forget about me? I knew that answer… Gus wasn't dead yet. He was probably just rotting in that cell right now.

His punishment should be decided soon. It had been weeks since he took over my mind and nothing had been decided yet. Anyways, things were going to get better… I hoped. I hopped into bed and started to close my eyes to get a few more hours of sleep when I heard the door open. I opened my eyes and looked at the open door, transferring light into my room. No one was at the door. I got up to close the door when I felt something beside me. I felt around the bed and found a person sitting next to me. I turned my head around and found Edward sitting beside my previous sleeping arrangement.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better, Jules." His angelic voice was soothing. It made me forget everything that happened in the last few minutes and I focused on my angel's beautiful features. His to-die-for smile was shining like a blazing sun, my own personal sun. In the dark, I couldn't see his features carefully in the dark but his smile was good enough for me.

"Well, at least you didn't scare me to death like Emmett." I said as I sat beside him. His cold hand wrapped in mine delicately but I could easily see that my temperature had not gone back to normal just yet.

"I guess I'll have to have a chat with him, won't I?" He said amusingly with that dazzling smile of his.

"Yes, yes you will." I said as I kissed him softly on the lips. He placed his arms around my waist and kissed me contently. This was the most pleasant thing that happened in a long time. "Man how I've missed those." I said after our kiss.

"It shows you're better. You sure got everyone worried, especially me."

"As always…" I said sadly as I sat next to him, arms crossed.

He seemed offended. "Love, I didn't mean it in a bad way." Edward said as he rolled onto me and put a hand on my cheek.

"Edward, how many times have you had to save me since I've met you?" I asked, looking deep into his eyes to find the answer. It was plainly visible. Now that I got to know Edward in these past months, I could read him like a book. Not very well at points, but sometimes, it was easy to see what was on his mind.

"Jules—" He said desperately.

"Countless times. And I want this all to stop. I don't want to end up in trouble every moment of my life and having you guys come and save me. Don't get me wrong, I love you guys more than life itself, but… I want this all to stop. I don't want to be the damsel in distress anymore. I'd rather be there, by your side, with no worries." I said. I keep repeating myself, and it might be selfish of me, but this was the way I felt inside.

"Jules, it's alright to feel this way. But you know that we'll always protect our family, no matter what. So, don't worry about it so much, love." Edward said as he leaned in to kiss me on the lips.

We kissed for a long time and Edward made me forget everything I just said. I wrapped my eyes around his neck and he leaned onto me carefully. My body still ached but with Edward's cold skin, it soothed the pain. He stopped the kiss and looked me deeply in the eyes.

"You should go back to bed, Jules. There are still a few hours until morning and Alice wants to talk to you first thing when you wake up." Edward said as he cupped my cheek with his stone cold hand. "Besides, we need to get your health under control."

"Oh fine, although I'm not too happy about the whole idea." He leaped off the bed and went towards the door. He looked at me with those dark honey-gold eyes and winked at me. What the heck did that mean? Just a wink? He closed the door behind him and left me alone in this dark room. "Doesn't he normally stay?" I asked myself before drifting off to sleep.

Hours later, I awoke and my room was lighted with sunlight. I sat in my bed for a few seconds, debating whether or not to get dressed right away or stay in bed for just a while longer. But there was a consequence to stay in bed any longer. Alice would probably come and yank me out of bed so I could talk to her. And what did she want to talk about anyway?

Now, there was only one option to do now. Get up, get changed and eat breakfast—that is, if it was still morning. I snatched the watch on my nightstand and checked the time. Unfortunately, my watch wasn't functioning. I could still detect some seawater under the glass, which meant it was totally fried. "Great…" I said as I swung my legs on the side of the bed, jumped out and threw my watch in the trash. It was no good anymore.

I decided to stretch my arms and surprisingly, it didn't hurt as much as this morning around two o'clock. I made my bed, got dressed and made myself look presentable in a total of minutes. I walked out the door and kept a normal pace towards the dining hall. Suddenly, as I kept walking, someone poked me on the shoulder. I turned around abruptly and found Alice only a few inches in front of me. It was scary.

I jumped in mid air and said angrily: "God! Is everyone trying to give me a heart attack these days?!"

"Sorry, I just figured I'd talk to you right now, since you're here and all."

"Yeah, Emmett and Edward told me you were looking for me. What's up?" I asked, trying to catch my normal heartbeat. Alice really scared the pants off of me.

"Let's talk privately." She said as she took my hand and led me to a door. She opened it and it was the library. I could never forget this room… This was the room Edward brought me in to play me my wonderful lullaby.

"Alright, tell me what's up before I lose my mind over this whole thing." I said as I rubbed my slightly warm forehead.

"Alright, this'll sound quite bizarre, especially coming from me. But… When you were drowning on the shore, I saw… something unexpected." She was stammering. That was very much unlike Alice. Normally, her words would flow out of her musical lips, but this time, it was different.

"How unexpected?"

"I saw a future, but it was from you."

"How is that unexpected? You can see anybody's future."

"But that's the thing that's weird. I saw your future, but you were with an angel, and you were right beside us. Not visible to any of us, but you were there." Oh god. She saw me and Angel when I was seeing my future, without me in the picture. Dang! I wished no one would have seen that. "Do you know anything about that?"

"What does Edward think of this? He probably read your mind while you were having your vision." I crossed my arms and waited for her response. This wasn't going to end happily…

"He just thinks that I was seeing your future. Meaning, the future if you had drowned."

"Well, at least he wasn't paying attention." I whispered mostly to myself.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked curiously.

"Alice… What you saw, that was the choice the Angel of Destiny gave me. She—"

"You met the Angel of Destiny?" She interrupted.

"Yeah, didn't you when you almost died?" Now, I was curious. Did humans see their Angel of Destinies before becoming vampires?

"No. We don't get to see our Angel of Destinies if we're going to be turned into vampires." Alice explained. Well, that answers my question.

"Well, as I was _saying_, I met the Angel of Destiny and she gave me a choice, to die or to keep living." I explained as I sat down on the piano bench.

"And you decided to live." She said happily as she sat next to me on the bench.

"Well, at first I had trouble deciding, knowing that there was a lot riding up on my decision. So, she showed me what it would be like if I actually died. That's what you saw. You saw the turnout of my decision." I was looking right into her golden eyes and she seemed pleased at my decision.

"I never thought I would see Edward this upset before. I mean, he was a mess before he met you but, just seeing him actually crying is a sign that… we can't afford to lose you." She said soothingly. She placed her hand on mine and smiled contently.

"Yeah, I guess this experience only means one thing." I stared in front of me.

"And what might that be?"

I turned my head to face her and smiled. "You can't get rid of me that easily." I mused. She placed an arm around my shoulder and hugged me tightly.

"You betcha we can't! You're tough, Jules. Whether you know it or not." She admitted. "Now, why don't you go and get some lunch? You must be starving." Now that she mentioned it, my stomach was starting to demonstrate signs that I was hungry.

"Yeah, I—wait, lunch?! You mean I slept right through breakfast?" I asked surprisingly.

"Emmett really woke you up early, didn't he?" She asked.

"Um… yeah, you could say that."

"What are you talking about, Jules? You must be still tired, because you're talking nonsense." She chuckled.

"No, I'm just saying that I woke up before Emmett scared me to death. And then, you have to scare me once again." I said pleasantly.

"Alright, alright. Let's just get some food in you." She said as she stood up and I copied her. We walked out of the library and I went to get some food in my empty stomach. This conversation wasn't as bad as I thought it would have been. But there was one conversation that was haunting me at this very moment. My talk with Death…

**Ok, so another long chapter. But they seem to be getting more interesting right? Please REVIEW to tell me.**

**Bellacullenswan17**

11


	30. A chat with the prisoner

**Ok, you know the drill. READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 30

A chat with the prisoner

As the days passed, my health improved a lot. By day two, my fever had passed and the aching had stopped. I was healthy again and everyone could see it. I decided to relax as the days passed since there was only a week and a half left of summer. That was a bummer.

One cloudy day, I decided to walk around the castle and found many courts behind the castle. They had a basketball, volleyball, tennis, and squash court. Of course, they were separate from each other. But the volleyball court caught my eye… I hadn't practiced in a very long time. Maybe this was the best time to get back into it. I checked my surroundings to see if anyone was around and luckily, no one was here. I opened the gate to the volleyball court slowly and carefully checking everywhere. This might be against the law to sneak into a court behind a castle.

"What are you doing?" Someone with a beautiful voice asked from behind me. I jumped in fright and shook the gate at the same time.

"Alice! Would you stop scaring me like that?!" I asked angrily with a hint of fear in my tone. I walked towards her and wanted to punch her in the arm. Unfortunately, that would only break my fragile pale hand.

"Sorry, but what exactly were you doing?" She asked, pointing to the gate.

"If you must know, I was trying to play a little volleyball. I was getting bored around here." I admitted honestly.

"Want a play for a while?" She offered. Wouldn't it be unfair if I played against a vampire? A mere human against a… person with super human strength, speed and reflexes. How in the world is that fair?

"Um… okay, I guess. Are we allowed?" I nervously said as I opened the gate.

"Of course! What gave you the idea that we weren't?" She asked as I grabbed a ball from the bin.

"Don't ask…" I said lifelessly as I watched Alice walk to the other side. "Um… okay, if you're going to play me, there's one condition." I admitted.

"And what might that one condition be?" She asked as she prepared herself for one of my serves.

"You don't get to use _any_ of your powers. Not your strength, or your speed, _or_ your visions."

"Are we going to have _any_ fun?" She asked amusingly with a little laugh.

"Oh come on, Alice! You're a vampire who's going to play against a mere human as myself. I got to at least have an advantage on you this time." I whined. I never whined before but if she was going to be fair with me, it was the best time to do it.

"Alright, you win. No powers." She brought her arms up in a defensive position.

"Then let's get started." I said as I jump-served it to Alice. She easily returned it over the net. This went on for a few minutes until I smashed the ball to the ground hard. Luckily, Alice couldn't get at it in time to return it.

"You've got some skills, I have to admit that. Nice work." She admitted lovingly as she came to my side.

"You too. I mean, I know you would have defeated me badly if you would have used your inhuman abilities." We placed the volleyball in the bin and left the court. I started to break a sweat but it wasn't enough to change my clothes. Although, Alice didn't even look tired. That's one of the perks of being a vampire… Man I can't wait to be like them!

"Probably." She admitted with a large smile on her perfectly white face. I laughed along with her as we went towards the castle doors.

"So, what made you came all the way out here? You weren't following me, were you?"

"Maybe." She commented.

I watched her expression carefully and it seemed to be enjoying the moment. "Alice." I whined.

"No Jules, I wasn't following you. I wanted to give you a little something." She searched in the back pocket of her perfectly designer jeans and brought out a small black cell phone.

"You went through all the trouble of finding me sneaking into a volleyball court to give me a cell phone? Why?" She handed me the cell phone as I contemplated the situation.

"Well, first of all, Edward found it was appropriate that you have a way of communication with us. So, he wanted me to give you this. Second, I saw how you looked at your father in my vision. I figured that you would like to talk to him." She explained softly. I flipped the cover of the phone and played with it a little as she talked to me.

"But I have a perfectly good phone back at your house." I told her honestly. She looked away from me and placed a hand to her neck nervously.

"Not anymore…" She whispered more to me than to herself.

"What?! Alice, what did you do to my phone?!" I asked panicky. This was freaking me out more than ever.

"Nothing! Your phone was just lying on the counter and Emmett accidentally… slammed his hand on the counter in excitement." Oh, she was just extending the punishment I was going to make Esme put on her.

"Alice, if you did _anything_ to my phone, I will personally get your mother out here and make you regret ever breaking my phone!" I angrily poked at her hard skin. Frankly, it hurt my finger to do so.

"You can only do that if you catch me! Have fun with your new phone!" She added as she ran at a human pace towards the castle door.

"Alice! You get your butt back here! Oh man…" I looked down at my new phone. It looked very expensive. But she was right. Ever since I had met Angel and made my decision to live, I had wondered about Henry. I hadn't seen him at the wedding, but that was probably because I hadn't paid much attention to the guests. I wish I could talk to him more but I don't know if his ways have changed. I sure hope so. If I was going to call him, I would prefer if he was home so I wouldn't have to leave a message.

"He's home, if that's what you want to know." I heard Alice say from the castle walls. She had a smirk on her face. I started to hate that smirk of hers.

"Alice! You have to the count of three before I start running after you!" That wasn't such a smart thing to say. I was so clumsy that I might trip over my own feet. That's why I didn't do much running of anything. But she wasn't taking me seriously. "One." I counted. She didn't budge from the wall. "Two." Nothing. "Alright, three. Esme!" I screamed with a smile on my face.

"Oh, I'll get you for that!" She said as she started running at vampire speed. It was hilarious. I looked at my new cell phone and hesitated a little. Should I dial the number, or should I prolong the wait until I call him? If I wait any longer, I might never call him. I looked around and saw a bench by the side of the walls as I started to dial the number. I walked over to the bench and pressed the phone against my ear. It rang four times until a masculine voice picked up the phone.

"Hello?" The voice asked.

"Um… hi Dad."

"Jules?" He asked surprisingly. He wasn't expecting me to call him. Of course he didn't expect this. I'm the one who rejected him.

"Yeah Dad, it's me."

"Well, that's a change… How have you been?"

"I've been…" Oh, how should I put this? "I've been quite busy these days. How are you?"

"I'm good." I could hear by his voice that he was uncomfortable with this situation.

"I was just thinking these days that… maybe we could talk a little." I closed my eyes and tried to get the words carefully out of my mouth. I just hoped I wouldn't say anything wrong.

"Sure. What's on your mind honey?" Oh boy… he was trying to talk reasonably with me. That wasn't like him. Maybe he had changed.

"Well, I'm still on vacation right now with the Cullens so, I was just thinking that… maybe after a few days into school started that… we could find some time to talk at the house." Man, I sounded like I was talking to some guy I had just broke up with, realized I was wrong and was asking him for a second chance. Was I this desperate to have a nice relationship with my father? "You know, so we could talk…"

"That sounds… wonderful. Yeah, I'd like that." He answered calmly.

"So, I guess we could arrange all that when school starts. Is that alright?" I asked casually.

"Sure, come by whenever you want. My door's always open." That was weird. Last time he said something like that, I was told never to enter the house when I left. But, that was all in the past. I had to forget that.

"Alright, I've got to get going. The Cullens are planning to go see the… Manresa Castle tomorrow." God! I can't believe I told him we were going to go see the Manresa Castle! I didn't even know where that was! I slapped my forehead with the palm of my hand lightly, closed my eyes and squinted.

"Wow, the Manresa Castle. I've heard good things about that castle. Did you know it used to be a hotel in the days?" No, I didn't know that. Thanks for the tip, Henry.

"Yeah Dad, I knew that. But I'll get to see more of it tomorrow." I lied. I was always a horrible liar. But then again, I wasn't face to face with him so; he couldn't tell that I was actually lying to him. "Well, I better get going."

"Well, have fun tomorrow. I'll see you soon, I guess." He added soothingly.

"Yeah, I guess I will. It was nice talking to you again. I'll see you soon Dad." I said before I decided to hang up.

"I miss you." He added before I pushed the 'End' button. It caught me by surprise that I hadn't pushed any buttons so far.

"W-What?" I stuttered hesitantly.

"The house is empty without you. And when I try to cook, it usually makes me nauseous. I've been ordering take-out for a while and I can't stand it anymore." He admitted. Well, that was off. I didn't know how to react to that. It was sudden and unexpected. I was uncomfortable.

"Um… that's not… good." I hesitated.

"Sorry. I was just… blurting out stuff. I'm sorry. I guess I'll just see you later. Bye." He said before hanging up the phone. I stared at the screen of my phone in shock and pushed the 'End' button myself.

"Nice talking to you too Henry." I said as I placed the phone in my jeans pocket. I got up and started walking towards the castle doors. Some load had just been lifted from my shoulders and it felt good. Now, there was something else that I needed to do. I need to have a little chat with a certain prisoner named Gus.

I walked into the castle and made my way towards the dungeon door. As I walked in the empty hallway, Kynark and Leorn were standing guard at both ends of the door, spears in hand just like medieval guards. As I walked towards them, they seemed happy to see me.

"Well, look who's looking better." Leorn said happily.

"Yeah, thanks for the concern." I said as I approached them. "Um… I was wondering if I could go see a certain prisoner down there."

"Um… I don't know…" Kynark started saying hesitantly.

"Don't worry. I'll be extra careful. I know how to handle myself when I'm around him." I added determinately. I wasn't afraid of Gus. He couldn't intimidate me any longer.

"Are you sure?" Leorn asked; concern noticeable in his voice.

"Positive."

"Alright, you can go in. I'll lead you to him." Leorn said as he opened the door for me. He was being quite the gentleman. Leorn grabbed a lamp off the wall and we walked down the dark stairs together. He was ahead of me and seemed worried about my conversation with Gus. "I hope you now what you're doing." He said as we walked down the stairs.

"I have my ways of handling these kinds of situations. Don't worry." I answered.

"Alright, we're here." He said as the stairs came to an end and a cell stood in front of us. It a large cell but what caught my eye was the person inside it. He was chained at the ankles and wrists, sitting on the cold hard floor with his head low and lifeless. He was just sitting there, doing nothing.

"Gustaev, you have a visitor." Leorn said as he opened the gate for me. "Jules, I'm going to go back to Kynark. When you exit the gate, you can just close it and it'll lock on its own. Just be careful." He warned. I nodded and he left the lamp next to the gate door. I entered the cell and looked at Gus thoughtfully. He was now looking me straight in the eyes.

As I stared at him with courage and leadership, the silence was too long for me. "Gus." That single word made me regret the decision of coming down here.

"What the heck do you want now? Haven't you ruined my life enough already?" He asked as he looked at me, the anger fuming in his eyes.

"Don't get your knickers in a bunch. I'm just here to ask you some questions." I crossed my arms and looked at him defiantly.

"Everything was working fine until you and those Cullens appeared in the picture. I had a family. I had a family many years ago and an older brother. But I had to give all of that up when I was turned into a vampire. Now, I could have been happy being a vampire. All of that power… It was incredible." He explained in detail. "It felt good to have the speed, the strength, that strong magic…

"And I could have had it all, if you hadn't survived. If I would have killed you and your little family would have been off in another part of the country, everything would have been fine." He glared at me angrily.

"Look, I never asked for any of this. And if you hadn't tried to kill me in Vancouver, you'd never be in this position." I explained.

"Don't you try to put this on me, you little witch. I was only doing my routine in life. You go out in the world, drink human blood, use magic whenever you want. It's just a lifestyle. But you, you ruined that lifestyle." He got up but never got close to me. His chains wouldn't let him go any further than just standing up. But his life is now ruined because of what he did to me.

"I only wanted to live normally. But now that you're in here, it's just gotten worse." Great… Now I'm admitting things to a psychopath criminal who almost tried to kill me numerous times. There _has_ to be something wrong with me.

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"You think that you're the only one whose life is going wrong? You try to have Angel's blood in your system and it's taking over your mind." He started laughing at the issue. What was so funny about this whole thing?

"Ha ha! This is so precious!" He laughed maniacally.

"What is so dang funny?!"

"The fact that your life is going the down the toilet, that's what so dang hilarious! I mean, I meant to kill you and get my life back on track, but this whole Angel's blood deal is doing it for me. What could be more right than this?" He asked; humor plastered all over his annoying voice.

"Well, unless you want Death coming to see you earlier than expected _thanks_ to me, you had better not laugh at me." I added irritated.

"You did _what_?" He tried to approach me but the chains held him in place. I backed up a foot from my stance and looked in his angry eyes.

"You heard me. I talked to the Angel of Death and made a deal with him. Your soul for mine." I explained gently.

"You little witch!" He said as he tried to walk forward but he wasn't strong enough to budge them. He was trying to get to me with brute force. As he fought against the chains, an electric current went through him and he stopped struggling. What was happening to him? "Man, I wish I could just kill you here and now! You so deserve to die now!" He clarified with a growl in the end.

"Well, it's better than rotting here for the rest of your short life!" I mentioned.

"I'd rather die here than die at the hands of Death!"

"What's the difference?!"

"Well, rotting in a jail cell for the rest of my existence doesn't seem that bad. But if Death is coming to get me, well that's going to be one big mess. That guy has been chasing after me for more than four decades! Do you really think that I want him to get me _now_?!" He asked in total rage.

"Ok, I understand that you have been mad at me for putting you here, but it's for your own good." I said as I went towards the gate. "I hope your father goes easy on you."

"You don't know my father." He said as he sat back on the cold hard floor. "He wouldn't take pity on me for anything in the world."

"I can relate." I said as I opened the gate door and started leaving but I stopped abruptly and turned my head sideways to see him on the floor. "I'm sorry for the turnout of your life. It wasn't my intention." I said before closing the gate and exiting towards the big staircase. I looked up before marching up the staircase and sighed. I couldn't believe I had to march up all of those stairs… At least it would give me some exercise today.

"Don't think this is over!" Gus screamed as I marched up the stairs. I ignored him and kept going up.

Minutes later, I finally made it up all of those long stairs. It was easier than I thought it would be. Kynark and Leorn were checking me suspiciously and it confused me. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing, just checking to see if you're alright." Leorn asked. He seemed to be really fond of me. Too bad I already had a fiancé.

"Yeah, I told you I could handle it." I said confidently, a large smile planted on my face. "I'll see you guys later." I said as I started walking slowly away from them.

"See you later Jules." Leorn said happily. I turned around to find him waving at me with a large smile on his face. I waved back at him hesitantly and walked away slowly.

"Leorn, chill! You have a job to do!" I heard Kynark say loudly.

"Yes sir…" Leorn said softly. I guess Leorn was quite young.

As I walked along the long hallway, my head was spinning with all of these conversations. The first one with Death a few days ago, the conversation with Alice about her vision, my chat with Henry just an hour ago, and my recent talk with Gus.

These were all swirling in my mind as I bumped in someone. I hadn't realized that I had my head down. I lifted my head to find Edward standing in front of me with that dazzling smile of his. I was melting away just looking at him.

"Hey there." I said lovingly.

"Hi."

"Sorry for bumping into you. I wasn't looking at where I was going." He placed an arm around my shoulder and started walking with me.

"What were you thinking?" He asked. Should I tell him?

"Oh, just about my conversation with Alice. And I've been wondering what happened to my old phone." I asked as I felt the phone in my pocket. It didn't feel right to have this new phone in my pocket.

"I can tell you right now that she acted on impulse." He admitted.

"Oh no… What did she do?"

"Trust me on this one—you don't want to know." Well, now I was panicking.

"Great… My phone was abused because of its age." I said with a sigh.

"It wasn't just because of its age. Alice said that she did it because you needed an upgrade." He admitted humorously. Man, I couldn't believe it.

"But my phone was working perfectly fine. What, was it not to her standards?"

"I'm not obliged to answer that, love. Alice will officially make me regret saying anything." He said as Alice came running in towards us.

"Speak of the devil…" I said but something was wrong. Alice looked in shock.

"Alice, what's wrong?" Edward asked worriedly. I looked at the both of them and they wouldn't say a word. Alice was thinking something to Edward.

After a while, Edward finally spoke. "Oh no…"

"We've got big problems." Alice finally said. Usually, she was happy and excited. Now, it was scaring me.

"What's going on?" I asked; panicking.

"The Volturi are on their way." Alice said lifelessly.

**OH!!! THE VOLTURI ARE COMING!!! Another long chapter and please REVIEW!!!**

**Bellacullenswan17**

12


	31. The Volturi

**Alright, so the Volturi are coming. READ AND REVIEW to find out!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 31

The Volturi

"W-What?" I stuttered. "Aren't they the vampires on the frame from the hallway?"

"Yes, and they're coming here…" Alice said. She was frightened by this fact.

"Who are they anyways?" With everything that's been going on, I can't even remember them mentioning it.

"They're an organized coven of vampires that enforce the laws of the vampire world. They're a royal family in the vampire world." Edward explained. "They're the foundation of our peace and civilization."

"What do they do if someone breaks these laws?" I asked.

"They destroy anyone who attempts to overthrow them, or resist to their authority." Edward continued.

"They even hunted werewolves to near extinction in Europe and Asia." Alice said. "Those poor werewolves."

"Are you guys friends with werewolves?" I asked. I knew they were friends with Elves, Dwarves, Wizards and a lot more but I didn't know about werewolves. There were a lot of different magical creatures in this world.

"Sort of. I mean, we get along but we're getting to the friends stage." Edward explained as we started to walk. "When are they coming Alice? And who's coming?"

"In less than two hours. And everyone. We need to hurry and get Jules somewhere safe." Alice said as we walked even faster than normal, which meant I needed to jog. Hopefully, I wouldn't trip over my own feet.

"Wait, why? Why do I need to leave?" I asked demandingly.

"I'll explain later." Edward said as he took my arm, swung me onto his back and ran. No, this wasn't happening. I wasn't going to leave them when a coven of vampires this strong was coming. They were scared to death…

As we came to a stop in front of a door, Edward put me down. "Edward, I'm not leaving." I said stubbornly.

"We have to get you out of here! They can't see you!" Edward retorted violently. It scared me.

"Edward, I have to admit that it never made sense for you to love me. But you still loved me after all this time. You stayed by me no matter what. Now, it's my turn. I'm not leaving." I said stubbornly. I wasn't leaving them now.

"Jules, please. Don't be difficult." Edward said as his gaze locked into my eyes.

"Edward, if she's not going to leave, then we've got to do something to make her blend in." Alice suggested, trying to sound calm again.

"Alice, that's not—"

"We have to try." Alice interrupted. They looked at each other for a long time but after a few seconds, Edward broke the long silence.

"Alright, we had better get to work. What do you have that can help us?" He asked.

"I have some contacts and we'll have to get some ice." She explained. "We also need some makeup. And a lot of it."

"Why the ice?" I just had to ask.

"Your skin needs to be cold enough to match ours."

"Then let's get to work." Alice said as she took a hold on my arm and led me into the room in front of us. We saw all the Cullens and they seemed shocked.

"What's going on? I thought you were getting her out of here!" Rose commented loudly and angrily.

"I'm stubborn. I'm not leaving." I said as I crossed my arms but Alice took a hold on my shoulder now and led me to a chair close to a window. This was the first office I had seen in this castle.

"So, we've got a lot of work if she's willing to stay." Alice said as she went through her purse to find something important.

"Why won't she listen to you?" Rose argued with Edward.

"I've tried! She's so stubborn right now that it doesn't matter what I say!" Edward retorted back angrily. It was scary to see them fight like this.

"Look, you know how the Volturi can get when they don't like the way things are going! If they find her, they'll kill her for sure!" Rose shouted. This took me by surprise.

"What?" I asked, trying to cut the tension between Edward and Rosalie.

"If you want the truth, then here it is Jules. I'll try to say this as nicely as I can. If the Volturi find you, they will enforce the rules. Humans aren't supposed to know about our secret. And since you know, they'll kill you." Rosalie explained. This whole Volturi situation was too much to handle. I put my hand softly to my forehead and went to sit down. After I sat down, I bent my head as low as I could with my hands on the sides of my head and tried to think. Maybe it was best if I did leave and let them deal with it.

"Edward, the cards have been dealt. You know Aro's ability. Even if we make a single contact with him, he'll know. There's no where to hide her. Demetri will track her down." Carlisle explained calmly. I loved Carlisle. He was always calm in these kinds of situations. Although, it was a good thing to have Jasper in the room. He could calm me down at anytime.

"What's his power?" I was curious. If they were so powerful, then they must have strong powers of their own.

"Aro is similar to Edward, but much stronger. He can read every thought someone has ever had but he has to have contact with them." Carlisle explained. Whoa… then this Aro guy must be extremely strong if he can read every thought someone has ever had. "Even if one of us has contact with Aro, he'll know."

"Then, let's get to work." Alice said as she came towards me with a small rectangular box in her hands. "I've got some contacts. Now, all we need is makeup and ice." She explained as she opened the small box to reveal two topaz colored contacts.

"Why waste ice when you can use your body temperature?" I heard a strong male voice say from the door frame. I turned my head slightly to find Evarak leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

"Evarak. I didn't see you there." Carlisle said. His voice revealed fear. What was Carlisle afraid of?

"If you're going to try to make the Volturi believe that she's a vampire, then you're going to need all the help you can get. The Volturi come every few months to talk to me." Evarak said as he came towards me.

"You're willing to help?" Rosalie asked.

"This child has shown me that humans are not all insignificant and reckless. If one human can make such a difference, I don't see any reason why I can't help her. Now, let's get started." He said as he approached me and looked me over. "First, we need to hide the eyes. If they see the flames, they'll know it's Angel's blood for sure. Juliette, can you put these contacts on?" He asked as Alice handed him the box of contacts and he handed them to me. I took one and placed in my eye. I never wore contacts before and it was quite an uncomfortable feeling. The first one was in place and for some reason; it was easier to put the second contact in than the first.

I squinted a few times but after a few minutes, I started to get used to the feeling. "Perfect. Now, what's next?" Esme asked.

"Makeup. Her skin needs to be paler." Evarak said. I saw Alice take out makeup accessories and approached me with Esme and Rose by her side.

"With our expertise, she'll look as white as a sheet in no time." Alice said as they got to work on my arms, neck, and face, everything that could be noticeable. It took them a while before they were finished but it didn't bother me. When they were finished, they looked at their work and were happy about it.

Esme went to get a small mirror and came back. "There. Now you don't even look human." She pointed out as she faced the mirror towards me. The person in the mirror wasn't me… This person staring at me was beautiful. Even though this was all cover up, I looked… inhuman, almost alien like.

"Now, we need to cool your skin to match theirs. But it isn't that urgent at the moment. If we try it now, it will have no effect. We'll have to do it moments before they come." Evarak explained.

"How long do we have now?" Edward asked as he shot a glance at Alice.

"Less than an hour. It still gives us time." Alice mentioned. That was a lot of time.

"Well, how about we just relax? This panic is getting the better of me." Jasper mentioned from the other side of the room. He seemed to be hurting there.

"Sorry honey." Alice approached him at a slower pace than normal. She wrapped her arms around him and he relaxed. Maybe Alice was giving him a good vibe and it helped. She smiled that adorable smile of hers and he snuggled into her neck. They were a nice pair. "Is this better?" She asked smoothly.

"Yes. Much better." He answered.

"Alright, so… what do we do now?" I looked into Edward's eyes to try and see his sentiments to this situation. All I saw was fear.

"All we can do is wait." Carlisle said calmly.

And so we waited. When the time finally came, Edward enveloped me in a long embrace and our skin temperature switched. I never expected to feel like this, so cold in Edward's arms. He was now warm. It was a nice change.

"Edward, it's time. They're here." Alice said urgently. He let go of me and looked me over.

There were three things I was absolutely positive about his expression. First, he was pleased because of my sudden vampire feature. Second, he seemed tense. His body trembled. And third, he was scared.

As the clock ticked, we all looked at each other. I knew what they were all thinking. They were all scared and frightened that this wasn't going to end well. Someone was going to die today, I just knew it. I just hoped it wouldn't be any of the Cullens. Suddenly, Edward's body stiffened. I followed his gaze towards the door and for some reason, I was scared.

Suddenly, the double doors opened to reveal a large group of men and women with dark cloaks. I was stunned. They formed a V line, for the time. When they all came in the room, all eight of them, they formed a sharp oval. The man leading the others was graceful, as were all the immortals behind him. He drifted towards us and his movements were with such unimaginable grace that it was hard to keep a straight face. As he drifted closer to us, I saw his face.

His skin was whiter than anything I'd ever seen. But his skin stood out from his hair, which at first I thought was part of his cloak. I thought his skin would just fall to ashes if anyone were to touch it. One part of his skin stood out, besides his long flowing black hair. His eyes were creamy red. The vampire looked mysterious and ancient.

The two men on both sides beside the main vampire were similar. The one on the left of him had the same long black hair but the one on the right was different. His hair was the same length but white. I recognized the first three men from the painting in the hallway. The Volturi… Following behind the trio were five other vampires, but they were hidden by the main vampires.

"Evarak! What a delight to see you again!" The leading vampire said; his voice a soft sigh. He drifted towards Evarak and the others followed like they were led by a leach.

"Likewise, Aro." Evarak responded but they never touched.

"And Carlisle, I wasn't expecting you here. What an unexpected reunion!" Aro replied happily.

"It's been a while. I see you brought everyone." Carlisle mentioned. I guess he meant everyone behind Aro.

"They were all so eager to join me in this visit. We don't get out much." Aro said pleasantly. "Edward, so nice to see you!" Had Edward met this man before? I would have to ask him later, if there was a later.

"A pleasure. I've heard many things about you Aro." Edward didn't seem pleased to meet him.

"It's wonderful to see Carlisle's entire beautifully civilized coven! I can't imagine how hard it must be for everyone to live like this… Only on animals. It must be excruciating, having to hunt so often." Aro commented.

"We survive." Esme replied.

"And where are my manners? And who might this be?"

"Jules Shrike." I replied nervously.

"You must be another addition to Carlisle's coven. How long has it been since you joined them?" He asked curiously.

"Not long, I suppose. Time flies when you're having fun…" My laugh was pitiful. He noticed.

"Well, welcome to the world of vampires, my dear." He said as he extended a fragile hand. Edward tensed beside me for some unknown reason. Then it clicked. Carlisle had explained to me that Aro could read every thought that you have ever had with a simple touch. If he touched me, he would automatically know.

"Is there something wrong?" He seemed suspicious of something.

"No…" I knew I had to do this. I shook his hand and he closed his eyes. Oh no… He was starting to read my thoughts.

"Interesting… Very interesting." He said as I took my hand back. My hand was now shaking. "I see nothing." Oh god! That was a close one! "I wonder if she's immune to all of our powers. Edward, are you capable of reading her thoughts?"

"No." Edward didn't say anymore. He just looked at Aro.

"Interesting. Jane dear?" He called and a small woman wearing a black cloak came towards him. She was so small but yet so beautiful. She had short, pale brown hair with menacing eyes and tedious crimson irises.

"Yes Master?" Her voice was childish. I wonder how old she was when she was transformed…

"Why don't you try affecting Jules with your lovely gift?" I knew this couldn't go well, and I wasn't taking any chances. I put up the barrier in front of all of the Cullens and myself. It would hold at least one blast from her power, whatever it was. It must be quite powerful because Edward's body was now shaking.

"Of course." Jane said as her eyes darted towards me. In a matter of seconds, she broke my barrier and my head started to hurt slightly. I closed my eyes to try and ignore the pain but it was hurting a little. I opened my eyes to find a very frustrated Jane looking at me with daggers. If only looks could kill…

"It's alright Jane. She has amazed most of us now." Aro said, still smiling at me. It was starting to frighten me. "Although, something did affect her."

"I have the power to put up barriers, if that's what you're wondering." I figured I might as well say it. It wouldn't matter now.

"Fascinating! Marcus, would you kindly come here please?" Aro said as he looked over his left shoulder to stare at the other similar Aro with black hair. Marcus walked towards Aro and extended a hand. Aro placed his delicate hand over Marcus's and closed his eyes. In a matter of seconds once again, he was reading the thoughts. But this time, he smiled.

"Peculiar. I see someone has a strong future ahead of them." What did he mean by that? "Alec, Demetri, Felix, Heidi, please step forward to join us." The others in the back approached Aro. Oh no… "I believe someone has been hiding a part of her life."

"What are you trying to say Aro?" Carlisle asked.

"Carlisle, you know we can find out certain things with time. Now, we have discovered that Jules here… is actually human." My eyes widened. Shoot! He figured it out.

"She's human?" A very big man asked.

"Yes Felix. She is."

"She's been concealing herself." The man with white-long hair mentioned.

"Why yes. Caius is right." He approached me. Aro looked at my shaking body more carefully and turned to Carlisle. "Carlisle, would you like to share your experience with Jules?" Aro asked as he extended his hand towards Carlisle. I looked at him and pleaded to myself that he wouldn't do it. But he had to. Carlisle touched Aro's hand and once again, Aro's eyes shut slowly. He seemed fascinated by what he was reading.

"My, what troubles you have gone through!" Aro pointed out as he turned towards me. "Angel's blood runs through you at this very moment. That must be hard."

"Angel's blood is foul! It should not even exist anymore!" Caius pointed out brusquely.

"You're right Caius. James did his job very well." An exact replica of Jane said. He smiled a vicious smile at me.

"James?" Edward asked.

"Yes. He was assigned to get rid of the last of the Angel's blood. We did not specify how he would do it. But he found a very creative way of doing so." Demetri explained.

"But now that it is inside of you Jules, there is only one way to destroy this foul blood." This can't be good…

"Aro, this is going too far!" Carlisle shouted angrily.

"I'm sorry Carlisle. You know the rules. Angel's blood has caused trouble throughout the years and the only way to destroy it is to destroy the beholder." Aro said.

"You can't do that!" Alice exclaimed.

"I'm afraid I have to. We have to keep the peace. And we have to kill this girl to get rid of the threat." Aro informed.

**OHHHHHHHH!!!!! What's going to happen now? Will they kill Jules? REVIEW TO LET ME KNOW!!!**

**Bellacullenswan17**

10


	32. Sentence

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Chapter 32

Sentence

"This is totally out of order!" Esme defended angrily.

"I'm sorry Esme, but those are the laws." Aro said gently. He was planning to kill me… What could I say to change this?

"She's lived with us for almost a year. Why enforce the law now?" Carlisle asked softly, trying to help the situation.

"Because almost a year from now, we didn't know about this little problem. Now that we are aware of it, we can deal with it in a more reasonable way." Caius explained.

"What's the reason behind all of this?! She's kept our secret for as long as she's known us. This is just taking things overboard." Emmett said angrily.

"Aro, you know that this is taking things too far. She's done nothing wrong. You can't kill her for being human and knowing our secret and being different." Edward objected.

"Well Edward, we could always bring up the law of interfering with humans and letting them know about our secret."

"You can't do that!" Rosalie intercepted.

"Actually, we can. We enforce the law and if said law is broken, then we must act immediately. You have to choose, kill the human or we kill all of you. And you know we don't want to do that." Aro explained. This isn't happening… I can't let them die. But suddenly, something popped into my head. Something Death had told me a few times… _You would rather have those around you that you love killed other than kill yourself_. I couldn't let them get killed on my account. I have to interfere.

"I'm sorry to say this Aro, but if you're going to go and kill Jules because of a silly rule, then you're going to have to kill us too." Carlisle said.

"No." I said as I wrapped one arm around Edward's waist.

"What?" Alice asked shocked.

"I said no. I will not stand here and let all of you get killed on my behalf." I explained as I looked at all of them and saved the best one for last. Edward looked shocked and bewildered.

"Jules—" Carlisle started saying.

"No. I'm not going to stand by and just let them give you this option. If someone has to die, then it's going to be me." I said confidently as I pointed to my chest with my free hand.

"No!" Edward said angrily. I looked at him at once and saw that he was really angry with this.

"Edward, as I said before, it didn't make sense for you to love me. And now that I'm endangering your life, I can't just stand by and… and do nothing! If I'm the cause of all of this, then I'll gladly step aside and let them enforce their stupid laws on me." I explained to him. I cupped my hand on his cheek and looked into his fearful eyes. "I love you more than this entire world, Edward. Just don't forget that." I said as I removed my hand from his cold marble cheek and my arm from his waist and walked forward towards the Volturi.

"Jules, you can't do that!" Alice said roughly.

"Alice, I would rather get myself killed than have those that I love get killed on my behalf." I said as I stopped in front of Aro.

"Such a brave move. There might be another way of handling this situation." Oh no… what was he going to propose? "With your wonderful gift, it would be a wonderful asset to the Volturi."

"Are you asking me to become one of you?" I asked in a sour tone.

"That is precisely what I am implying. Would you like to be immortal?" He wasn't seriously asking me to become like them!

"Then my answer is no." I said coldly and confidently. I would never want to be like one of those stuck-up vampires that only care for their rules and not about someone's life.

"Then, I'm sorry Jules. There is no other way." He said as he looked towards Marcus. When Aro's eyes met Marcus's, there was a connection. But suddenly, Marcus's face lit up with happiness and he stepped towards me. He took out a sword from under his cloak and looked at it for a moment.

"A Satka. The only sword known to man-kind that can destroy Angels. When you will die, he will die with you." Aro explained.

"Why were you so eager to draw that sword in the first place?" Carlisle asked out of curiosity. Frankly, he got me curious as well.

"Because he already knew about Jules before coming here." Edward replied coldly.

"Edward, how do you know that?" I asked him, but never turned my head to look at him. It would sadden me too much to see him like this.

"Because, his thoughts are filled with ideas on how to kill you." Edward explained. I looked at Aro and he looked at Edward with delight. Why was he so happy about this?

"I have to admit, I knew about Jules before we arrived. We said the truth when we told James that he could dispense of the Angel's blood as he pleased. But he told us he wanted revenge. We heard his story and decided that it would be best for his own needs to place it into Jules." He explained without any hint of fear. "That's why we came today. To dispense of the problem ourselves."

"You monsters!" I interjected angrily. "This was all just a set up!"

"Yes, yes it was. But now that the problem is staring us right in the face, we have to dispose of it, the proper way." Caius explained. Why would anyone be so cruel as to end a person's life out of selfish reasons? They were monsters. The Cullens were the angels.

"Now, stay still. This might hurt a lot." Marcus said as he placed the tip of the sword right beside my heart.

"You know where to place it, Marcus. Jane, would you please make sure that none of the Cullens try to interfere with the ceremony?" Aro asked as he stared at Jane. She smiled.

"It would be my pleasure, Master." She said with a grin that would scare me to death, if I wasn't already extremely scared.

"Aro, we won't stand by this judgment!" Edward said.

"Edward, you know that if any of you interfere in this ceremony, you will be accomplices, which we can't allow." Marcus explained.

"But—"

"Edward, I don't want _any_ of you to interfere with this! Don't you do anything!" I said angrily. I didn't want them to be hurt. Especially not while the Volturi are here.

"But Jules—" Edward tried to object.

"I mean it! Do nothing! You guys are not going to get hurt on my behalf! Do you hear me?!" I said as I looked at him for an instant. He looked bewildered again. I didn't want him to be angry with me, not when I was about to die.

"Oh, this is taking too long!" Felix said as I turned my head to face the Volturi and saw him approach Marcus. He took the sword from him and pierced me right beside the heart. At first, I couldn't feel anything. Not pain, I couldn't hear any voices, I felt nothing. My mouth fell open and gasped in pain. The sword was through me and it felt cold. My head dropped slowly to find a sword completely made of ice that was in my chest at this very moment.

"Well, that takes care of that." Felix said as he took the sword out of my chest and I fell to my knees lifelessly. He put his foot on my right arm and pushed me to the side. I slid to the floor and couldn't move.

"JULES!" I heard Edward scream. I still had some life left in me. This couldn't end like this. This was wrong. I had to move. I had to do something.

"Edward, I'm sorry for your loss. But this had to be done." I heard Aro say. Liar.

"You could have done something else! This was not the way to go! You and your stupid rules can just rot in hell!" Ok, he was really mad. I had never heard him like this. I had to stop his rage. I tried to lift my arm slightly but my body felt like it weighed a ton. I made the biggest effort of my life to raise my arm slightly and tried to get up. My chest started to hurt a lot at this sudden movement. "JULES!" I heard him say as I moved my arm.

Suddenly, a pair of hands caught me and turned me around. I was brought into strong arms but I just realized that my eyes were starting to close. "Jules, please stay with me. You're going to be just fine." He tried to soothe me but we both knew that I wasn't going to be 'just fine'. But I had to look at him. I had to see his angelic face before I died. I would not react the same way as I did in the dark water. I forced my eyes open and after a few tries, my eyes found his angelic face. He was scared.

"Ed—ward…" My voice was barely over a whisper.

"Jules, don't talk. I want you to save your strength. You'll be fine. Jules, I'm so sorry." He said soothingly. My strength was disappearing with each tick of the clock. My right arm was on my stomach and my left was lying limply on the ground. But I didn't care about any of those things. I was in Edward's arms and that was the only thing that mattered to me at this point in my short life.

"Edward… We both know… that I… won't survive this…" I tried to say but it was a challenge.

"You will! Don't talk like that! You are going to get through this, just like everything else. You can do it, for me." He said but his voice was pleading. He didn't like the odds of this turnout. And, let's face it, my odds weren't that good. I would die in mere minutes. "Aro, take my life as well. Kill me right now." He seriously wasn't asking this from the monster of all vampires, was he?

"Edward… Don't…" My voice was gargled but he got the point. I closed my eyes for a second.

"But… I can't live without you. You are my life Jules." He said as softly as he could.

"I told you… before… I want you… to be happy… Even… if I'm not a part… of your life anymore… You have… to promise me… you'll be happy… without me..." I pleaded myself.

"But—"

"For me… Promise me…" He didn't like what I was asking. He hesitated and looked me right in the eyes. My eyes were closing but they were pleading.

"I… I promise…" He stuttered but he seemed honest. Suddenly, a pain started to form in my wound and I gasped out in pain. I closed my eyes and tried to let the pain disappear.

"Jules, come on, stay with me! Please don't leave me! Dad, I'm losing her!" Of what I could hear, Edward seemed to be sobbing. I needed to see him before I was done for. I needed something to remember him by before I died.

I tried to ignore the pain and opened my eyes by force. I looked at him and it was unbelievable. He was sobbing. It was incredibly sad to see him like this. "Please… don't be sad…" I tried to soothe him. I wanted to put my hand on his cheek but I had no strength left. He seemed to understand what I wanted so, he took my left hand and placed it on his cheek. "Thanks…" I said with a smile.

"Your hand is so cold." He said in astonishment.

"Edward… before I die…" I started saying but he winced.

"Please. Don't say that." He didn't like the word that I used.

"Edward… I want you… to do something… for me..." I said as I used the last ounce of my strength.

"Anything love." He said with love in his voice, although it was cracking with dry sobs.

"First… I don't want you… to try and save me… They'll kill you… if you try anything… I don't want you… to risk your life… just to be with me…" I explained softly.

"I… Alright. I'll try."

"And another thing…" I asked.

"Anything you want. I'll do anything." His sobs were getting stronger.

"I want you… to know… that I love you… and I want you… to kiss me…" My voice was cracking.

He didn't reject the thought. He bent his head so that I wouldn't have to move too much. Our lips met and it was intense. It was like no other kiss Edward gave me before. He was putting so much passion and intensity behind it that I couldn't help but smile. I put in as much strength as I could behind the kiss. I would remember this forever. I opened my eyes slightly and looked at Edward. I could feel my heart beat slowing down fast and I knew this was the end. My eyes started to close on their own and my strength was weakening. Edward saw that. He opened his eyes immediately with disbelief written in his eyes but he wouldn't stop the kiss.

As my eyes closed and my heart beat stopped, there was one last thought that crossed my mind. _I love you. Farewell. _

And then I knew that my life was over.

Something appeared in front of me. I was in the same room as I was before I died. Evarak was looking at the Volturi, looking quite shocked. The Volturi looked satisfied and the Cullens were dry sobbing. I turned to look at Edward and he was gripping a lifeless body. My body… He was holding onto my body like I was the last food remaining on Earth. But… how could I be standing here, watching them?

I thought I had died?

I looked at all of my family's faces. Esme, always so kind and smiling, was crying tearlessly. Alice, who could always see things coming, didn't see my death this time. She was crying like Esme onto Jasper's shoulder. Even Jasper was dry sobbing. Emmett was trying to act all tough and showed no emotions as he comforted his mate. Carlisle was comforting Esme while Edward was dry sobbing and holding my dead body. I could see blood on his shirt. My blood.

But what took me off guard is that everyone in the room looked at me. Could they seem me? I looked myself over and I was in a long white robe. But surprisingly, I had lovely soft wings stuck to my back. What was I?

Out of nowhere, a puff of black smoke appears beside me and the Angel of Death appears beside me. He looked satisfied, just like the Volturi.

"I see you took my advice." He said with his deep voice. "Good girl…" I looked away from the Cullens in shame. I closed my eyes to avoid looking at their disappointed faces.

"You took his advice?!" Edward asked furiously.

"I'm sorry…" I said as lowly as I could.

"Now, I finally win." He said as circular flashing electrical wall appeared in front of me. I didn't like how this would end up. This constant feeling was starting to bug me. "Now, let's see where you end up." He said as he came towards me and looked at me. He put his finger under my chin and forced me to look at him. "Now, don't be so sad. You knew it was going to end like this. I always get my soul." He said as he turned me around to face the electrical wall.

"Wait just a darn pickin' minute!" A manly voice said from nowhere. I looked around and found nothing. But suddenly, a white flash appeared in front of me. I closed my eyes to the brightness but when the light stopped, it showed two men and a woman. They were my brothers! Accompanied by my Angel of Destiny. What were they doing with her? Jeremy was the tallest of the three. He was wearing a nice white shirt with light blue jeans, which made his shaggy dark blond hair shine in the light and his deep sea blue eyes shone as well. Justin was small with black spiky hair—the same colour as Alice's hair—and he wore the same shirt and jeans—although in a smaller version—as Jeremy. The both of them had a nice pair of white fluffy wings attached to their backs.

The Angel of Destiny wore her beautiful white dress that descended to her ankles and showed her shoulders. Sure, she was snippy and had a little temper, but she was extremely beautiful. If she lived in the normal world, you would surely believe she was a vampire.

"Juli's not going anywhere with you!" Jeremy said as he pointed menacingly to the Angel of Death. I smiled at his courage. That was the Jeremy I always knew.

"Awe, come on! Why are you here?!" The Angel of Death asked; a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Because, for some unexplained reason, there's someone who doesn't want her to die." Justin said as he pointed towards the ceiling. I followed his gaze and I knew immediately what he meant. "He's giving her a third chance!"

"You've got to be kidding! Can't I win just once?!" He whined.

"Afraid not! To be able to exchange her life to save seven, that counts for something. And it means that she would risk her own life to save others. That counts as bravery." The Angel of Destiny explained in her heavenly voice.

"No! I got her fair and square. She died and now, it's my time to shine!" He objected angrily.

"Now, you listen here bud!" Angel was getting snippy. She walked towards him in a stubborn way and pointed fingers at him. As she approached him, he started to back off. "If _he_ says that she can start her life again for a third time… which I don't see why… She just gets into trouble anyways."

"Hey!" I objected. She was insulting me as she made her point… What a lovely combination of the two.

"Don't you get snippy with me! I'm trying to help you here! Do you _want_ to go with him?" She asked me as she pointed to him.

"No! No, you go ahead and rant. I'll just stand over there." I said as I walked over to my brothers. They seemed to be laughing about this whole situation. With my set of wings, I fit right in with my brothers. "How can you guys put up with this?" I whispered to Jeremy.

"You get used to it. She tends to be crabby every day of the week." He whispered.

"I heard that!" Angel said loudly. Nobody in the room said a word.

"Sorry…" My brothers and I said in unison. We bowed our heads and let the Angel of Destiny talk.

"Alright, now back to you."

"Hey, I'm the one who—" The Angel of Death tried to say but couldn't get a word in.

"I don't want to hear any back talk from you! Now you listen here mister. Sure, this girl is a pain in the butt, and she's a pest, and she doesn't know when to give up, and she gets herself into messy situations…" She stopped walking and insulting me. She looked confused. "I lost my point." Are you kidding me?!

"Oh dear…"

"Don't you finish that sentence, young lady!" Angel said as she stopped pointing at the Angel of Death and started pointing at me. I raised my hands up defensively and the Cullens, the Volturi and Evarak were all just standing there. I had completely forgotten about them.

"Angel, you were saying?" Justin asked.

"Right." She said as she turned back to face Death. "Even thought she's all of those things, she still cares for others and sacrifices her well being for those around her. If you want to take her life away just because you want her soul, then you'll have to deal with me before you get to her. Do you understand me?" She asked as she pushed him towards a wall.

"Yes ma'am." He said; his voice full of fear.

"Then, I suggest you get out of here before you regret ever crossing my path."

"But she can choose not to take this 'third chance' of his." He intercepted. This was unexpected.

"Do you choose to go with him or to go back to your family?" Angel asked as she made me look towards the Cullens. As I turned my gaze towards them, I saw their surprised and confused faces. But my answer was clear in my mind. I didn't want to have to choose again to live or die. As I looked into their pleading eyes, I knew I would make the right decision.

"I want to live." I said as I kept staring at the Cullens. Edward smiled that beautiful crooked smile at me.

"Alright, then we'll get this wrapped up. I want to go to bed. You're giving me a migraine again." Angel responded as she rubbed her temples.

"I'll see you guys soon?" I asked Jeremy and Justin as I wrapped one arm around each of them. They looked at me and smiled.

"You know what to do when you want to see us." Jeremy said.

"We'll always be watching you." Justin said.

"Okay, that's just a little creepy. But I'll take it as a good thing." I said as I squeezed them into a side hug. "I'll see you soon." As soon as I finished my sentence, Angel snapped her fingers and I pushed back roughly into a body that hurt. My eyes were closed but I gasped in need of air.

"Jules!" I heard Edward say. He sounded so happy at the moment.

"My work here is done." I heard Angel say before she left with my brothers in a bright light. I could see something bright under my eyelids.

"Ed—ward…" I tried to say.

"Edward, I need to treat her." I heard Carlisle say as Edward placed me gently on the floor. I felt cold hands touch my wound carefully and started stitching it up at record speed.

"This isn't possible!" That was Marcus's voice. He sounded angry.

"Carlisle, I suggest you transform your little pet soon. By the time we see you again, she better be dead or a vampire." Felix ordered.

"Now Felix, let's not be hasty. But Carlisle, he is right. If Jules is not transformed by the time we see you, we will take matters into our own hands once again." Aro explained.

"We do not give second chances." Caius said.

"So unfair…" Death said. "I will get you soon Juliette, if it's the last thing I do!" He said angrily. I knew he was going to disappear soon and I wanted a word in.

"Wait…" I said as I forced my eyes open a crack.

"What do _you_ want?" He asked annoyed.

"You won't get me that easily…" I said before my consciousness disappeared and I fainted.

**AH!!!! What just happened? She died, saw the Angel of Death and returned to life. What will happen next? REVIEW TO FIND OUT!!!**

**Bellacullenswan17**

12


	33. Confrontation

**Alright, this is the last chapter before the epilogue. So please, REVIEW AFTER YOU READ!!! I REALLY AM DESPERATE!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!**

Chapter 33

Confrontation

"Alice, it's been days! Can I _please_ get out of bed?" I pleaded. Ever since I was brought back to life for the third time, I was stuck on bed rest. And imagine, this was four days ago. Everybody said that I needed to stay in bed and get my strength back. But apparently, I was sleeping for a day.

"Jules, you know you have to stay in bed until you're fully recovered." Alice said as she handed me a bowl of tomato soup with crackers.

"Alice, if I don't get out of this bed soon, I won't be able to move my legs at all!" I interjected.

"Well, Edward wouldn't be too happy about that."

"But that's just the person I want to go see. _Please_ Alice. Can I get out now? I'm suffocating in this room." I pleaded. I hadn't spoken to Edward ever since I woke up. Alice was the one who took care of me.

"But… If he sees you out of bed, he'll probably throw a fit."

"Alice, what's going on?"

"Nothing." She didn't seem too confident with that answer.

"Alice, tell me the truth." I ordered. I didn't want to be answer Alice that way but I wanted to know the truth. Why Edward hadn't talked to me ever since I got hurt was a mystery to me. She looked away from me. "I want to know what's going on."

"Alright, he's been thinking about everything that's going on with the Volturi. And he didn't want you to be in the room when he thought about it. It was already hard enough when he was taking care of you." That sounded bad. For some reason, what she just told me, it hurt. The way she said it, it was like Edward was repulsed that I came back.

"Oh… Alright." I said as I lay back onto my pillows.

"I didn't mean it like that, Jules." She said as she came to sit beside me. I placed the bowl of soup on the nightstand and looked at my hands. "He's thrilled that you decided to come back but, he just thinks that the business with the Volturi could be more trouble than anyone could imagine."

"Then why doesn't he just talk to me about it? Maybe I can help him with these decisions." I suggested as I looked into her golden eyes. I guess she hunted while I was out.

"He thinks it's best if he just thinks about it himself." She explained.

"Alright." I answered gloomily as I looked towards the windows. It was cloudy outside. Maybe that's why I needed to get out of here. Everything was just… gloomy. The only thing that made me feel happy was Alice being in the room.

She made a very unhappy sigh before speaking. "Okay, if I let you out of bed, will that make you happy?" She asked in defeat.

I turned my head abruptly to look at her shockingly. "Seriously? I'm free?"

"Yes." She said with a smile.

"Oh, thank you Alice!" I said as I carefully got out of bed. I didn't want to exert too much pressure on my numb legs as I jumped out of bed. I looked at her, just to see if this was all just a trick but it wasn't. "Where's Edward."

"On the balcony." She answered as she looked at me with a smile. "Have fun with your freedom. But be careful."

"I will. Thanks!" I said as I walked in a hurry to find Edward. It took a while but I finally found Edward. He was leaning against the fence of the balcony, looking into the horizon but he never saw me. I went towards him but the sound of my footsteps made him turn towards me. Him and his stupid super-sensitive hearing…

"Jules." He said lifelessly.

"Hey." I tried to sound as cheerful as possible. I walked up to him and leaned against the fence as well. "You seem deep in thought."

"So you noticed…" He said. He didn't seem too happy to see me.

"I could go if you that's best for you." I said as I looked at him.

"No! No, it's alright. I wanted to talk to you when you were feeling better. And it looks like you are." He said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Well, that's what staying in bed for four days does to you." I tried to sound sarcastic to make him laugh. It didn't work as well as I had hoped.

"We wanted you to be relaxed and get your strength faster." He said as he intertwined his fingers with my hand.

"I would have been more relaxed if you had been there." I said soothingly as I looked into his dark golden brown eyes. They were sad and pained.

"Maybe we better sit down." He said as he walked towards the table close to the door and offered me a seat. I took it without any questions.

"Please tell me what you're thinking."

"I don't think this is the right time." He wasn't too happy about my sudden statement.

"Alice told me you were thinking about the whole Volturi thing. I want to help you as much as possible." I said honestly as I placed my hand on top of his.

"Before they came to see us, I was starting to think about our relationship." This wasn't starting well… "I was thinking about how much trouble I was putting you in, just by being with you. Your life is in constant danger when I'm around. Of course, I asked everyone for advice on this subject and they all gave me their opinions. In the end, I made my decision." He started to explain.

"Which was…?"

"I thought about leaving. Just me and the rest of the Cullens." Well, this wasn't exactly what I was hoping to hear.

"Oh. Well… if that's what you want…" I didn't want to hear it. But… if that's what will make him happy, then I'll endure the pain of the separation. "If that's will make you happy…"

"But when you were in my arms, dying," He winced at the word. "I knew that leaving you was something I could never do. You made me realize that your hold on me is permanent and unbreakable. I could never leave you. It would break my un-beating heart in pieces." He explained. "It made me realize that you're the most wonderful thing that has ever happened in my life. As I told you a few days ago, you are my life Jules."

"So, the sick masochistic lion wouldn't leave the stupid lamb for someone else?" I asked with a small smile on my face.

"No. That amazing lamb is my life now. I could never live without her." He said as his smile went to his eyes, just the way I liked it.

"I'm glad you feel that way." I said as I placed a hand on his cheek. It was nice to feel the coolness of his skin under my skin.

"You are even lovelier than the first day I met you." He said as I melted into his golden eyes. I took my hand off of his cheek.

"Explain." I said confusingly as I looked at him. He smiled that wonderful smile at me and he started to explain his story.

"That first day I saw you in the cafeteria; it was the most wondrous day of my life. I had never _seen_ someone more beautiful in my life than you. You awoke my soul. But, I couldn't look at you for long. And as you moved, your scent hit me like a bullet going a hundred miles an hour. I had to leave. As soon as the students in the cafeteria started to move out of the cafeteria, I left.

"Alice had seen you coming before you moved in with your father. Of course, the warning wasn't enough. I thought I could just forget about you but at your fourth period, I came back to school. Just then, Alice had a vision of you, being crushed by a stupid basketball net. I thought to myself 'not her'. I couldn't let that happen.

"I rushed to the gymnasium and stopped the accident. Even though your blood was all over my hands, I avoided the temptation." And with that last statement, he smiled at me. "I stayed with you the whole time you were in the hospital. And you were the most stunning thing I ever saw, unconsciously lying there on the hospital bed.

"It was then that I decided that I couldn't stay away from you. So, I tried to get as close to you as possible. And when you found out about my secret, everything fell into place. I knew you were the one. And now, I'm determined to protect you until you decide you don't want me anymore." He finally finished. Wow… this was so special.

"You know I'll always want you. As long as you want me to be a part of your life, then I'll always want you." I said as I placed a hand on his cheek once again. He leaned his head towards me so we could kiss.

"Such a tender moment." A deep voice said behind me. I turned around to find the Angel of Death looking right at us with a neutral face. You couldn't even tell if he was smiling or mad. I got out of my chair as fast as I could and Edward placed an arm around me and pulled me to stand behind him.

"What do you want?" I asked angrily as Edward protected me. A snarl formed in Edward's chest. "Haven't you already caused enough damage these past few days?"

"Calm down Juliette, I'm just here to talk." This confrontation between me, Edward and the Angel of Death was just the tip of the morning. This wasn't happening…

"Then talk." Edward answered with a snarl.

"I have seen the way you take care of those around you. And after your obnoxious Angel of Destiny barked at me, I have realized that I shouldn't go after you like that." He explained as he paced around.

"What… what are you saying?!" I asked confusingly and angrily.

"I'm saying that I won't be seeing you for a while. When your heart stops beating, then you'll see me." He admitted. "Just be careful not to die anytime soon." He chuckled. I didn't see the amusement behind his joke.

"I'm surprised…" Was all I could say.

"Well, you should be. I usually don't give these kinds of chances to just anyone. So, count yourself lucky." He said before turning around and walking a little towards the fence.

I knew he was going to leave but there was something I needed to know before he disappeared. "Wait!" He stopped in his tracks and turned his head a little. "Why the sudden change?"

"For two reasons. One, I've seen how much you care about the ones you love. And it wouldn't be right if I tried to take your soul away if your heart's in the right place. And two, your vampire boyfriend would snap at me if I tried to get to you one more time. Now, I best be going. I hope not to see you soon." He said before a black smoke appeared around him and seconds later, he was gone. This unexpected confrontation made me realize something. The world was changing all around me and I wasn't aware of the change, until now.

Edward didn't relax yet. "Edward, it's alright. He's gone."

I rubbed his arm but he wouldn't loosen up. "Do you honestly believe what he just said?!" He shouted angrily. Was he mad at me or at Death's little speech?

"Edward, I'm not sure what to believe. But at this very moment, I'm just glad to be alive. I just want to spend some time with you." I said as I walked around him and stood in front of him. I placed my fingers comfortingly under his chin and he looked at me. His jaw started to unwind and his eyes started to sadden for some unexplained reason.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout. I just don't want him to be anywhere near you. I don't want to lose you again. It was hard enough to feel it once." He said as he wrapped his arms around me and brought me into a fierce hug.

"I've got an idea…" I looked at him and he was smiling, although his smile did not touch his eyes.

"And what might this idea be love?" His angelic voice asked. It was comforting to hear the happiness in his voice once again.

"Let's go out for supper." I said as I took his hand and walked towards the hallway. He followed closely by my side, as if I would disappear anytime.

I stopped dead in my tracks and put my hand on his cheek. I turned his head and made him look me in the eyes. "Edward, I'm not going anywhere. Not anytime soon." I smiled at him and he flashed that beautiful, making me forget what I was going to say, heart-warming smile of his. "Trust me."

"I know. But I'm just afraid of losing you again. You gave me a real scare. Please don't ever do something like that ever again." He said softly as he moved a strand of hair from my forehead and placed his hand on my chest, right where the wound was taped over. "Does it still hurt?"

"Not as much as before. Now, let's go and get your family." I said as I started to pull him again towards my room. I knew Alice was in there. Maybe she would just tell everyone.

"Are you sure you're well enough to go out?"

"Positive. I need fresh air. I'm suffocating in this castle." We arrived at my door and I opened it to find Alice and Jasper on the bed. They were about to kiss. "Wow… first time I see you kissing." They looked at us in a second. Alice looked disappointed at my sudden entrance.

"Is there something that you needed?" Jasper asked impatiently.

"Well, excuse me for asking to go out for supper with you guys." I said as I walked in the room with Edward by my side.

"You let her get out of bed?" Edward asked, a little bit of anger behind his voice.

"She wouldn't stop moping! It would have helped if you came to see her. She would have been willing to stay in bed if you came to see her every once in a while." Alice explained as she and her mate approached us.

"Well, we talked about it and nothing is going to happen. Now, are we going to supper tonight or not?" He asked with a smile.

"Sounds sick!" I heard a childish voice say from behind me. I turned around to find Emmett in the doorframe with his arm around Rosalie's shoulders.

"Will you ever stop eavesdropping on us?" I asked with a smile.

"Hmm… let me think." He placed a finger on his chin, plastered a thinking expression on his face and looked at the ceiling. He looked back at me with a smile. "Not in a million years."

"When you're a vampire, challenge him to an arm wrestle." Edward whispered in my ear as lowly as he could so Emmett couldn't hear me.

"Will do." I said with a smile as I looked at him. He was confused now.

"Did I miss something?" He asked confusingly.

"Oh, you'll get it someday." I whispered to myself as I scratched the back of my head.

"Well, look who's feeling better." I saw Esme coming close to my bedroom as Emmett and Rose stepped in the room.

"Yeah, I am; which is why I'm offering that we should go out tonight." I offered.

"Sounds good to me." Carlisle said with a loving smile that I hadn't seen in days.

"Then let's go! I'm starting to get hungry." I looked at my wrist watch and found that it was already five twenty-three. I didn't realize that it was so late.

We started to head towards the village and Edward asked me which restaurant I wanted to eat at. I didn't think the Cullens were planning on eating something. As I thought of my options for restaurant choices, I could only think of one restaurant that would satisfy everyone. _Dancer's corner_ would be the perfect place… When we entered the restaurant, I recognized Leryk as he came towards us.

"Nice to see you again, Jules." He said happily.

"Likewise. Mind if we get a table?" I asked as I looked around for a table big enough to fit eight people.

"Of course. There's one right over here." He said as he grabbed a few menus and indicated a large table in the center of the room. We followed him and we took our seats without a word. He gave us each a menu and looked at me. "Jules, the local band's playing tonight and we were wondering if you could sing something before they came on. You know, as an opening act?"

"Oh, I don't know…" I said as I looked towards Edward.

"Oh, come on! It'll be fun." He pleaded. Well, how could I refuse now? "Please?"

"Oh, alright." I sighed in defeat. I got up from my seat and went towards the stage but Edward caught my wrist and stopped me in my tracks. I turned my head in confusion and he looked sad.

"Are you sure you're capable of doing this? You know you're supposed to take it slow." Edward asked in his beautiful angelic voice. All I could do was smile at him.

"Edward, it's singing and playing guitar. What can possibly go wrong?" I looked at him and I knew he was about to answer that question. I placed a finger on his cold lips with a smile. "Don't answer that."

I went towards the stage and Leryk grabbed the mic from the stand on the stage. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Before the band comes on stage, we have a little surprise for you. She wowed us a few weeks ago with her dance skills and beautiful voice, now she's going to wow us one more time. Give it up for Jules!"

As the crowd applauded for my ascent onstage, Leryk handed me the mic as he came down the stairs. I grabbed an acoustic guitar from the stack of instruments on the stage and placed the mic on the stand. As the spotlight shown on me, I looked at the crowd. "Um… hi everyone. I heard this song a few months ago, and with everything that happened to me and my family these past few days, I think this song is perfect." I explained as the local band arrived on the stage and went to their instruments. I told them which song I wanted to them to play and they seemed content with the song I picked.

_The Climb_ by _Miley Cyrus_ was a relaxing song. It began with piano and singing. At the chorus, acoustic guitar began playing and the drums, violin, and many other instruments started playing afterwards. I closed my eyes as the song started. Soon after, I opened my eyes and found Edward—farther from the middle than I had thought—looking at me.

As he smiled at me, I started playing the guitar when the chorus started. That wonderfully beautiful smile, it just made me smile. As I sang, I thought about the past few days. I thought of how lucky I was to still be alive. Why was God giving me this third chance? Did he really think I was capable of living a better life? I hope he was right… But to be able to stay with Edward, it was the best part of my life. I loved him more than this entire world, and I wouldn't change that for anything.

The song ended slowly and the crowd applauded in delight. I waited a few seconds to let the crowd stop cheering and applauding before leaving the stage. As I descended the stairs, Leryk applauded as he approached me. "You still got it in you, don't you? To sing like that?"

"Always do." I said but there was a request I wanted to ask Leryk, if this was my last dinner here before school started again. "Hey Leryk? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Can I put in a request for the band?"

"Alright, I don't know when it'll play but…"

I pulled out a five dollar bill from my pocket. "How about five bucks?"

"You'll be next." He said as he grabbed the five bucks from my fingers and put it in his back pocket. "Which song do you want them to play?"

"_I'd come for you_ by _Nickelback_. Do you think they know it?" I asked him. But there was another song I wanted them to play tonight… It would give me a reminder. "If I give you another five, can they play _Bleeding Love_?"

"Sure. They like playing those songs on karaoke night." He said with a smile as he grabbed the other five dollar bill I just took out of my pocket. "Good thing they have a female singer with them for some songs. I'll be sure to tell them now." He said as he ascended the stairs and adjusted the mic on the stand. I walked towards the crowd slowly as Leryk spoke in the mic. "Well, I hope you loved Jules and her beautiful song. Now, let's give it up for_ Elves of Arcadia_!" Everyone started clapping as Leryk informed the band of my request. As I looked at the band members, I instantly knew why they were called _Elves of Arcadia_. They all looked Greek! That or they _really_ loved going to the arcade.

As I walked towards my fiancé, the song started. It was a nice start, and it was the perfect time to get Edward on the dance floor. "Shall we dance, Mr. Cullen?" I asked as I extended my hand towards him.

"Of course, Mrs. Shrike." He took my hand and I led him to the dance floor. A lot of couples were slow dancing. I followed their movements. Of course, I wasn't tall enough to reach Edward's neck but I settled for his upper arms.

We started to dance and Edward looked at me with that heart-warming smile. "You were amazing, as always." His angelic voice softly said.

"Thanks. So, I'm guessing we're leaving for Olympia soon."

"In a few days. We want you to relax a little before we head back home. Carlisle says you should be able to remove the bandages in a few hours." He explained gently.

"That's fine with me. You know what?"

"What?"

"I think we might have just found our song." I said as I wrapped my arms around his waist and cuddled into his cold hard chest.

"You're right." He admitted.

"If you listen to the lyrics, you can see that it talks about our relationship. Fighting for one another, the first time we met… You know; that sort of thing." I explained as I looked into his golden eyes.

"This might turn out to be a perfect song for our after party, if you're still willing to marry me." He said as his golden eyes met mine and for a second, I forgot to breathe.

"You know that I want to be with you forever. And there's only one way that I can spend eternity with you. And your condition seems to be farther away than anticipated." I tried to get him to change me earlier. Maybe he would reconsider, with everything that happened recently.

"Jules, I will not take away your soul. And I certainly won't damn you to such a life." Edward persisted.

"Edward, I told you this a few days ago, it never made sense for you to love me. That much is sure. But—"

"What do you mean?"

"Edward, I'm a weak human while you're this incredibly strong and amazing vampire. At first, I didn't understand why you would want me. And, even now, I'm still not sure why you love me. But, if you want me as your wife, then I won't ask myself these questions anymore. I'll go along with the fact that you actually do love me." I explained as I explored the emotions in his eyes. It was a mix of love, compassion, surprise and fear. It was probably the fear of changing me and turning me into, as he would call it, a monster. If he wasn't a monster, then why would I turn into one?

"You know I'll always want you, no matter what." His angelic voice exclaimed softly.

"Then you're going to have to find some way to change me before I'm twenty-one. Who knows when the Volturi could come back for me?" I asked myself.

"Jules, we'll be alright. When you count days, they count years. They won't see us for a very long time." He said with a very large smile. Was he trying to trick me?

"Edward, there are two things I want in this entire world. The first is you. And the second is to be like you. And I'm already on a very dangerous hit-list." I explained as we kept dancing. The song was coming to an end.

"Please Jules; we are not continuing this conversation tonight."

"Edward, even if we don't continue this conversation right now, I'm not giving up. I know what I want." I told him. I looked him straight in the eyes and I knew he wasn't going to give in easily. It would take some work.

"Let's just think about the present. We've got a little break ahead of us before our last year of high school starts."

"Ugh… don't remind me." I said as a new song started. It was _Bleeding Love_. My other request. "I like this song."

"It's relaxing." He placed his head on my head as he wrapped his arms around my waist and brought me closer to his hard chest.

"Do you remember the first time we danced to this song?"

"That night, I had decided to stay close to you. That was the night my world lit up." Ok, that line was cheesy but so wonderful, coming from him.

"I love you."

"And I will always love you." And with that last statement, we ate a wonderful meal and danced the night away.

There was one thing I discovered that night that explained my entire relationship with Edward Cullen… Time passes. Even when it seems unintentional, even when every tick of the clock beats like the pulse of blood in your ears during a dangerous situation. Sure, time passes unevenly, it even passes in strange lurches and dragging lulls, but pass it does. For anyone. Especially for me.

**Alright, so there's always this happy ending right? Maybe… :P So, REVIEW TO TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!!!**

**Bellacullenswan17**

14


	34. Epilogue

**Alright, EPILOGUE TIME!!! What will happen now? And there will be a sequel, so look for **_**Moonlight Devotion**_** in just a few minutes. It'll be up!! READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**Disclaimer = I don't own Twilight!!!**

Epilogue

The days passed and nothing went wrong, for once. I spent most of my time with Edward and Alice, taking walks along the shoreline with Esme, and trying to play chess with Jasper. Of course, I did lose but I was close. Emmett even tried to get me to play video games in the game room—yes; it's surprising that in a castle that has so much history in it, there would be a game room.

As I started packing a day before our departure, a puff of white smoke arose on my bed. The smoke filled the room as I tried to see through it. In an instant, the smoke disappeared and a package was left on my bed. I stared at the brown packaging before closing my suitcase. What in the world could that be? I walked towards the mysterious package slowly and, with the tip of my finger, I poked the package. It didn't explode. I let out the breath I was holding and ripped the brown packaging quickly. Under the brown packaging was a very long rectangular white box. I opened the box and found the swords Frederic gave me before the battle against the Storks. There was a note on the swords. I picked it up and read it.

Jules,

I've left these in your possession. I gave these to you and now, I feel you should have them back. I'm sorry I couldn't help you when the Volturi came but I'm glad you were able to survive through it.

I heard you were going back home soon. Even though you won't see me anytime soon, I'll be seeing you. I'll always be your silver-haired guardian.

I wish you good luck in school and I'll see you soon.

Frederic

PS: Nice song choice. You were amazing on stage.

Another PS: There's one special thing about those swords. If you want to reduce the size of them to fit on a chain, there's a red diamond on the hilt of the sword. Press it and it'll become a pendant. To change it back to your weapons, hold the designated sword in your hand and snap your fingers. The snap will only affect the sword in your palm. I hope that helps.

Ok, this was a little creepy… Is it just me, or did vampires have amazing hand-writing? And since when did he start using smaller words?! Man… I held up _Aladdin_ and saw the red diamond Frederic had mentioned in his letter and pressed it. A small flash of white light shown in front of me and that made me close my eyes. When the light faded, I opened my eyes to find a small pendant in my hand. "Cool." I said to myself as I placed the pendant around my Cullen necklace. It was amazing how things could fit together perfectly. I mimicked my movements for _Bloodshot_ and in minutes, I had three pendants on one necklace.

I finished packing and went to join my fiancé in the main hall. Evarak was waiting for me and as I approached them, he came towards me and handed me a small box. "What's this?" I asked him as I looked at the box.

"These contacts cannot be burned by the Angel's blood. It will help when you go to school. No one will suspect a thing. The contacts change color according to the wearer's eye color." He explained. "A little going-away present from all of us here in this castle."

"Thanks for everything." I almost wanted to hug him but I didn't know if that was the right thing to do. As if he read my thoughts, he came and gave me a big hug.

We separated and he looked towards us all. "I hope to see you all very soon, under different circumstances." Evarak exclaimed happily.

"Likewise Evarak. We'll be stopping by much more often." Carlisle said with a beautiful smile.

After all of our goodbyes, Edward told me to climb onto his back and we ran at full speed. In minutes, we were back home. It felt nice. It felt heart-warming, just like Edward's smile.

We started school quite early, if you ask me. Earlier than I had expected. Since Emmett and Rosalie graduated last year, Alice, Jasper, Edward and I entered the school formally and I saw all of my friends. The first one to greet me was Sam. She was ecstatic to see me and, frankly, a little mad that I hadn't sent her any emails or didn't get the chance to do something with her during the summer.

"I'm sorry Sam; I was traveling with Edward and his family all summer. And we went to see my mom in Seattle. I read your emails but never got the chance to write back." I explained. That was the best excuse I could come up with, for now.

"Like, it's totally fine. We'll just catch up during the week! I've got to go see Maggy. I'll, like, see you at lunch!" She said happily.

"Yeah. Do you mind if the Cullens come with us?"

"No! Of course not! They're like, totally welcomed! See you all later." She said as she ran in the hallways to meet with my other friends. Sam hadn't changed. She was still that excited, caring friend that I have gotten to know for almost a year.

"She seems excited." Alice said with her lovely pixie voice.

"That's Sam for you." I said as I started walking but suddenly, someone slammed into me and almost knocked me over, if it weren't for Edward standing beside me.

"Oh, I'm sorry." A man with russet skin, black hair and dark eyes said as he looked at me. There seemed to be no damage. As he straightened up, he was so much taller than me. He was even taller than Edward! I'd say that he's about six foot seven, maybe. He wore a nice plain black shirt with a blue pair of cut-off style shorts.

"Um… no. It's no problem at all." I said as I looked him over in details. He looked scary, but also a very happy and up-beat person, just like Sam.

"Um… I'm Jacob Black. I'm new this year." He explained as he extended his hand. I took it and it was extremely warm. Was that normal for a body temperature?

"Where are you from?" Edward asked. I guess he wanted to know him more.

"La Push." Jacob explained.

"Oh, that's just a few hours from here. Well, welcome to Olympia High. What grade are you in?" I asked interestingly.

"Twelve. What about you?"

"That's interesting, same here. Well, I guess I'll see you in class." I said with a smile. "Maybe I could give you a tour of the school sometime."

"That'd be great."

"Hey, I'm Jules by the way. This is Edward, Alice and Jasper." I introduced them.

"It's nice to meet you all." Jacob said before leaving.

"Something's off about him." Alice said.

"And why do you say that? He seems nice." I commented.

"Yeah, his attitude seems alright, but I can't see his future." She said; her voice filled with worry. I looked at her face and it was gazing at nothing. She was having a vision. How could that be? "And all of our futures disappeared when he was talking to us."

"What about now?"

"You and Edward need to get to class. And we do too." Oh, so she could see our futures now. Although I could have made that prediction myself.

"Oh, well I guess we'll just have to figure that problem out later. Now, I've got to get to Physics." That was the only class I didn't have with Edward or Alice or Jasper this year. I kissed Edward on the lips and I ran off to my first class.

I entered Physics class before the bell rang. Mr. Klatt, our Physics teacher, was already writing his lesson on the white board as I took my seat next to a girl I hadn't seen before. She looked in my direction as I sat down in my seat and opened my books.

"Hi there." She said in a lovely voice. She had light brown hair with streaks of honey and, what seemed to be, very gentle brown eyes. She wore white rectangular glasses and seemed quite tall. She seemed nice.

"Um… hi there." I said hesitantly.

"I'm Angela Weber. I'm new here." Man, this was really déjà-vu, except with different people.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jules." I said as I extended my hand to her and she shook it without hesitation. At least her temperature was normal. "Where'd you move from?"

"Oh, here and there. It's nice to be in a small town." She said in a sweet, caring voice. Mr. Klatt started talking and I paid only half my attention to his lecture.

"It must feel pretty weird to always be the new kid." I whispered to her. I didn't see anything wrong with this girl.

"Yeah, it kinda is."

"Don't worry. I know the feeling. I was the new kid last year." I told her with a smile. "Why don't you have lunch with me? That way, you won't feel left out."

"Sure, that sounds nice. Thanks." She said before going back to the lecture. This school year had started with many greetings but I hope it would go soothingly. I was back at school, Edward and all the Cullens were in Olympia—yes; Emmett and Rosalie are still in Olympia because they're pretending to be in Florida, studying the medical arts, just like Carlisle and Esme. I would have to talk to my father very soon but other than that, everything was good.

This was only a new beginning to my third life.

**Alright, so Jacob and Angela are now in the picture. What will happen in the sequel? Look it up to find out. I love you all and I want you all to not give up on me. I will try to improve my stories to please you all and I hope you continue to look into my work. So please REVIEW FOR THIS LAST CHAPTER. Please and thank you!!**

**Bellacullenswan17**

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